Newcastle United make a trip to Oxford United for an FA Cup fourth-round tie this weekend, with the encounter being the first between the two sides in 24 years.
The last time that Newcastle United and Oxford United played each other was a second-tier clash in January 1993. At the time, Newcastle were flying high under Kevin Keegan and would end the season by securing promotion to the Premier League as champions of what was then the First Division.
Meanwhile, under the tutelage of Brian Horton, Oxford would end the 1992-93 campaign in 14th position – but would experience multiple relegations and a gradual decline over the next decade and more.
The game itself ended in a 2-1 victory for Keegan’s side, with the Newcastle goals courtesy of Andy Cole and Lee Clark, while Nick Cusack bagged Oxford’s strike.
While Cusack would go on to play for Fulham and Swansea City – before being elected Chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association – it was Newcastle’s squad of talents who would ultimately forge more of a name for themselves.
Here’s what happened to the Newcastle line-up from their last meeting with Oxford.
GK: Pavel Srnicek – Legendary on Tyneside, goalkeeper Srnicek played 150 league games for Newcastle between 1991 and 1998 and is synonymous with the emergence of the Magpies during the early-mid 1990s. Upon leaving St James’ Park, Srnicek played for a host of clubs, including Sheffield Wednesday, Brescia, Portsmouth and West Ham United. The Czech Republic international shot-stopper made a brief and emotive return to Newcastle in 2006-07, making two appearances. Srnicek suffered a cardiac arrest in December 2016 and was placed into an induced coma – tragically passing away four days later.
RB: Barry Venison – The former Sunderland and Liverpool defender made more than 100 appearances for Newcastle between 1992 and 1995 – playing an important role in the rise to the upper-echelons of the Premier League. Venison joined Graeme Souness’ Galatasaray in 1995 before following Souness to Southampton in the same year. Upon retirement from playing the game Venison was a regular TV pundit, before moving to the United States. In 2016, Venison was handed his first foray into management – as Head Coach of the Orange County Blues in Los Angeles.
CB: Kevin Scott – Having spent the majority of his career at Newcastle, Scott ended his ten-year association at St James’ Park in 1994 by moving to Tottenham Hotspur. The central defender made little impact in London and, after a handful of loan moves, transferred to Norwich City in 1997 – where his career began to wind down. Scott was a crucial part of Newcastle’s promotion push and was a firm favourite throughout his 227 league appearances for the Toon.
CB: Brian Kilcline – Famous for his long hair and moustache, Brian ‘Killer’ Kilcline was mostly remembered for his time at Coventry City in the 1980s – including lifting the 1987 FA Cup as the Sky Blues’ captain. Keegan made Kilcline his first signing at Newcastle and immediately named him captain. The central defender left St James’ Park in 1994 and saw the remainder of his career at Swindon Town, Mansfield Town and Halifax Town.
LB: John Beresford – As with many a Newcastle defender in the 1990s, Beresford was often criticised for a lack of defensive discipline, but the forward thinking left back suited Keegan’s style of play perfectly – consequently, Beresford was a regular for Newcastle from 1992 to 1998. After making close to 200 appearances for the club, which included almost helping the Magpies to a Premier League title, Beresford joined Southampton for three years – before ending his career in non-league football.
CM: Paul Bracewell – Currently David Moyes’ assistant manager at Sunderland, Bracewell joined Newcastle from their Wearside rivals in 1992 – playing for Keegan for three years. Bracewell rejoined Sunderland in 1995 but was reunited with Keegan in 1997 as part of Fulham’s ambitious rise through the divisions. When Keegan was named England manager in 1998, Bracewell took the reigns at Craven Cottage – before being replaced by Jean Tigana in 2000.
CM: Lee Clark – Like Bracewell, Clark was another who played for Newcastle, Sunderland and Fulham during his career. An energetic midfielder, Clark was a product of Newcastle’s youth system and played for the first team from 1990 to 1997. After two years with Sunderland and then six with Fulham, Clark returned to St James’ Park for the 2005-06 season before retiring. In total he played 265 times for Newcastle, scoring 28 goals. Clark has forged a respectable career as a manager, including taking charge of Huddersfield Town, Birmingham City, Blackpool and current side Kilmarnock.
RM: Rob Lee – Highly rated midfielder Rob Lee played close to 300 games for Charlton Athletic before repeating the same feat for Newcastle between 1992 and 2002. Lee was a crucial part of Keegan’s sides of the 1990s – so much so that he was named in the PFA Team of the Year in 1995-96. Lee gained international recognition around this time, earning 21 England caps in the process. After leaving Newcastle, Lee played for Derby County, West Ham and Wycombe Wanderers before retiring in 2006.
LM: Scott Sellars – Despite only playing for Newcastle for two seasons, Sellars was an important influence in their promotion to the top flight. Upon leaving Tyneside in 1995, Sellars played more than 100 games for Bolton Wanderers before spells at Huddersfield Town, AGF Aarhus and Mansfield Town. After retiring from playing, Sellars has taken up roles as Chesterfield’s assistant manager, Manchester City’s academy head coach, and his current employment on the coaching staff at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
FW: David Kelly – With 24 goals in 45 games, Kelly was Newcastle’s top scorer in their 1992-93 promotion season. Although the Ireland international forward’s goals fired the Magpies into the promised lands, Kelly did not transition with the club into the Premier League – as the emergence of goal machine Andy Cole enabled Keegan to sell Kelly to Wolves in the summer of 1993. After continuing his scoring form for the Molineux side, Kelly moved to Sunderland in 1995 – and after an unsuccessful two seasons, ended his career with spells at Tranmere Rovers, Sheffield United, Motherwell and Mansfield.
FW: Andy Cole – After scoring 55 goals in 70 games for Newcastle, Cole was infamously sold to Premier League rivals Manchester United in 1995 – ultimately enabling Keegan to sign the likes of Les Ferdinand and Alan Shearer soon after. Cole, meanwhile, continued scoring goals and winning trophies during a successful six year stay at Old Trafford. After joining Blackburn Rovers in 2001 – being reunited with strike partner Dwight Yorke – the forward made a series of nomadic moves; representing seven clubs within the final four years of his career – the last of which came at Nottingham Forest in 2008.
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