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Opinion

The Newcastle United left winger who was the best of the lot

2 years ago
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Newcastle United have had Chris Waddle, David Ginola, Laurent Robert, Hatem Ben Arfa and Allan Saint-Maximin.

However, this article is about a left-winger with gold dust in his boots, who also scored more goals for Newcastle United than the lot of them put together.

Bobby Mitchell signed for Newcastle United in 1949 from Third Lanark for £16,000.

Mercurial, strong and very skilful, Mitchell soon gained the nickname “Dazzler” by the Gallowgate faithful.

My Uncle Billy once told me that Bobby Mitchell could “open a tin of beans with his left foot.”

Within two years of arriving at Newcastle, Bobby Mitchell picked up the first of his three FA Cup winners medals for the club, when United beat Stanley Matthews’ Blackpool at Wembley in 1951.

Along with only Jackie Milburn and Bobby Cowell, he would also go on to play in the 1952 and 1955 winning sides.

Against Manchester City in the 1955 final, Mitchell scored a fine goal, but the game was also remembered for a serious injury to City’s Jimmy Meadows.

As Meadows attempted to tackle “Bobby dazzler”, he was left bamboozled by Bobby’s fleet-footedness and crumpled to the ground. Meadows was stretchered from the field and sadly would never play again.

Bobby left Newcastle United in 1961 after scoring 113 goals in 410 appearances.

He later became player / manager at Gateshead, before becoming a publican in 1966.

Bobby Mitchell is always in with a shout of being in any ‘Greatest ever Newcastle United’ side named from any generation.

Bobby died in his beloved Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1993 aged only 68.

Bobby “Dazzler” Mitchell was the best of the lot for Newcastle United.

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