![]() Thank goodness the tie wasn't called off because United did magnificently drawing 1-1 with Sporting only equalising a Jim Scott goal 10 seconds from the final whistle. My abiding memory is of Smith sitting forlornly on a bench on the athletics track with a large white towel over his head and water creeping up the bench until his legs were nearly submerged. Jagged streaks of lightning flashed across the black, brooding sky as thunder rumbled ominously and rain lashed down. Earlier when we played Sporting Lisbon in the Portuguese capital a freak storm threatened to see the game abandoned at any time. Another story winged its way to the Chron offices and made a front page exclusive: United Pair In Police Swoop. It turned out that the police were looking for two Englishmen called Smith and Scott who had absconded from custody and they were convinced United's pair were the guilty men."I wouldn't care but two canny Scots being taken for Englishmen really hurt," moaned Dave. Eventually the club interpreter was called and passports carefully examined. ![]() There I found two burly pistol-packing Spanish cops in agitated conversation with Dave Smith and United's winger Jim Scott. ![]() We had just played Real Zaragoza on New Year's Day - yeah, some timing for an away game in deepest Spain - when I received a tip off in my hotel room that something interesting was happening in the foyer so off I raced downstairs. I reminded Dave of one episode in particular which he recalled vividly. "Aye Gibbo they were great times," he said his smile radiating down the line. We talked long and enthusiastically of the many happy memories we shared travelling the continent that memorable season and my trip to Plymouth where Smith was king. While we had all received one Dave had been on the 'missing' list. Thus armed they travelled down to present him with a specially made black and white inscribed cap to commemorate that epic 1969 victory, the last time Newcastle won a major trophy. Three of my colleagues at the Fairs Club - Bill Gibbs, Derek Richardson and Brian Wilkinson - had traced him to Skipton where he now lives having continued to reside in the Plymouth area for so many years after retirement. READ MORE: Newcastle training ground plans emerge as club plot major revamp at Benton So it was with great joy in the last couple of days that I received a phone call at home and a voice with an unmistakable Scottish accent asked how I was doing. ![]() One get-together I recall with great affection after our Fairs Cup escapades came about in the late eighties when I flew to Plymouth with Lawrie McMenemy's Sunderland on what was for me a rare Mackem trip.ĭave was the successful manager of Argyle at the time and had specially put up a welcome sign in the Press room ready for my arrival. However having gone off to ply his trade in such far flung places as the south coast and over the border in Dundee meetings had been minimal over the years restricted to his occasional visits to Tyneside. A flamboyant, quirky character, Smith became a dear close friend during his time with United before going on to have a successful managerial career winning no fewer than four promotions down the leagues. All things being kind Dave Smith, famously Newcastle United's coach when they won the European Fairs Cup, will celebrate his 90th birthday next year. ![]()
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