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Opinion

Vic Keeble – He was the last man standing from that great Newcastle United team

2 years ago
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Vic Keeble was the last of the victorious Newcastle United 1950s FA Cup heroes.

Keeble, Jackie Milburn and Len White were Newcastle’s 1950s equivalent to the modern day PSG forward line of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe.

I’m not joking, Newcastle actually played these goal scoring gluttons all in the same side in the mid 1950s.

Vic Keeble arrived from Colchester United in 1952 and started his first full season by scoring two goals against Manchester United at Wembley in the Charity Shield.

His early career at Newcastle United was soon interrupted by National Service but by 1954/55 he had established himself as an integral part of a phenomenal Newcastle United side.

It was Vic Keeble’s goals that steamrollered Newcastle United to the FA Cup final in 1955 and he wore Jackie Milburn’s famous Number 9 shirt in the final.

Not to be outdone, Wor Jackie then scored after 47 seconds in the final against Manchester City, with a rare and excellent header. Michaell and Hannah getting the other goals in a 3-1 win.

The next season, Big Vic scored 29 goals in 36 appearances, including four in one game.

He was truly a tank on the pitch, an excellent target man and brilliant in the air.

Jackie Milburn once said that he scored so many goals with his head….”that you thought that he had studs in his nut.”

After his exploits for Newcastle, Vic’s old boss at Colchester United Ted Fenton, decided to bring him back down south, Vic Keeble signing for West Ham United and also became a goal scoring hero at the Boleyn Ground.

After his playing career ended, Vic Keeble never forgot the great times that he had in the North East and indeed he was a regular at club functions for many years.

He also attended the Fairs Cup Club reunions that the fans had set-up, along with Bobby Moncur, Frankie Clark and the lads, even though we had won it years after Vic had left Newcastle.

Vic Keeble was truly a Newcastle United hero and will never be forgotten by his many Geordie friends.

He passed away in 2018 aged 87, we sadly lost the last man standing from a golden period in the club’s history.

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