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Opinion

When the nephew of Sir Alex Ferguson made his Newcastle United debut

3 years ago
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The first game of the 1989/90 season, Micky Quinn announced his arrival on Tyneside with a four goal salvo against promotion favourites Leeds United.

Newcastle won the game 5-2 and the other Toon goal was scored by another debutant in Black and White. He had a famous name within Geordie legend and folklore and just like his famous namesake he was born in Glasgow.

He was also the nephew of Sir Alex Ferguson. Any memories getting jogged?

John Gallacher arrived from Falkirk in June 1989 for £100,000. A few eyebrows were raised when Bald Eagle Jim Smith forked out on a lad who had only made 16 senior appearances north of the border.

Apart from scoring a wonderful goal on his debut, 20 year old John had an outstanding game and dovetailed perfectly with Quinny and Mark McGhee, who was making his second debut for the Mags.

A thin and will o the wisp winger / forward, young John also scored in our second game of the season. Newcastle soon established themselves as strong promotion candidates and John Gallacher was becoming a fans’ favourite.

He would go on to score 7 goals in 27 games as Newcastle lost out on automatic promotion on the last day of the season. Leeds the team that John and his teammates had put to the sword the previous August….ultimately finished as Champions.

Unfortunately, in his maiden season in England, John picked up a niggling shin injury that would ultimately cut short his fledgling career.

Over the next two seasons he only featured twice for Newcastle before given a free transfer in 1992.

He joined Hartlepool United but by now it was nearly all over and John was forced to retire from the game a year later.

Definitely a lad who had his dream cut short, John Gallacher I believe could have really been a star at Newcastle United.

The last I heard, John who is now 52, was the manager of a supermarket back home in Scotland.

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