A warm Geordie welcome awaited FA Cup winners Newcastle United at the Central Station in 1951, but they had already shown off the trophy to fans at Sunderland Station on the journey back from London.
Newcastle had defeated Blackpool 2-0 at Wembley on April 28th, and the team made the return trip to the Toon on May 5th. Their train took a winding route north, and hundreds of people lined the platforms at York and Hartlepool to cheer on the victors as it passed by. It paused for a few minutes at Sunderland Station, allowing local fans to join in the celebrations.
In those days, football fans across the North East supported local teams with a camaraderie that would be unthinkable today. It was common for Newcastle supporters to watch Sunderland at Roker Park if there was no home game at St James’; and vice versa. Over a thousand Sunderland fans travelled to Wembley by train, bus, and car—many without tickets—eager to support the region’s representatives in the final.
The Sunderland Echo reported that there was a stampede along the platform as people rushed to catch a glimpse of the cup, which stood on a table in the team’s first-class carriage. Several fans were crushed in the frenzy and the Echo’s photographer had his camera smashed. As the train pulled out of the station, they were still chanting the name of Jackie Milburn, scorer of both United goals.
The train arrived in Newcastle shortly afterward, where an estimated quarter of a million people lined the streets to witness the team’s triumphant procession to St James’ Park aboard an open-topped bus. The colour photo shows the Central Station the day after the 2025 Carabao Cup Final, if you look closely you’ll see some black and white balloons placed there to welcome returning fans.