Hughie Gallacher's grandson backs Newcastle United to…

Hughie Gallacher's grandson backs Newcastle United to emulate Wembley Wizards

The grandson of the legendary Hughie Gallacher is backing the current crop of Newcastle United heroes to emulate the Wembley Wizard and bring silverware back to Tyneside.

Gallacher was captain when Newcastle won the league title in 1927. The Scotland striker remains the last Magpies skipper to lift the championship trophy, and scored 143 goals in 173 games for the club. His life and career were honoured this week with the unveiling of a plaque at Redheugh Boys Club, a stone's throw away from the old Redheugh Park where Gallacher finished his career as a Gateshead player.

His grandson, Andy Gallacher, was on hand to unveil the tribute to the legendary frontman almost 96 years on from his biggest moment in the black and white stripes. Andy's father, Hughie Jr, had taken ill during the week but both men will be cheering the Magpies on from their Lobley Hill home when they take on Manchester United in the Carabao Cup Final.

And he hopes the current crop of Magpies heroes can take inspiration from the feats of 'Wee Hughie', who as well as being immortalised for his feats with Newcastle, Chelsea and Derby County, also went down in fame for his performance among the 'Wembley Wizards' of 1928 when he starred as Scotland thumped England 5-1.

"After all of these years, for him to still be remembered and thought of is special," Andy, 39, said. "I've got to thank Redheugh Boys Club for their help. Gateshead was a special place for my grandad and it still is home for our family. My dad has never moved.

"My dad is over the moon with the tribute. He's 86 now and he's not been in the best of health. He wanted to come to the unveiling himself, but it was great that I could be here. When he played up here for Newcastle, my grandad loved it and he always planned on coming 'home'. He finished his career with Gateshead at the old Redheugh Park.

"I'd like to see Newcastle United do something now, maybe a plaque or something. He deserves it - he's still got the best goals per game record and it's coming up to 100 years since he was the captain the last time they won the title. If he was honoured by Newcastle, it would mean a great deal to the family, just as this tribute does.

"I'll be watching the game this weekend with my dad at home, we both support Newcastle. My dad loves all of my grandad's old teams. Let's hope they can do it at Wembley. My grandad was a Wembley Wizard and hopefully some of that can rub off on them."

Gallacher is considered one of Newcastle's greatest players of all time. Despite just standing 5ft 5in tall, he was a giant on the pitch and a larger than life figure off it. He had a fearsome reputation as a dribbler and ball striker with either foot, and ended his career with 463 goals in 624 senior appearances.

His tale was to end in tragedy, however, as he took his own life, stepping in front of an express train in Gateshead in 1957. He was aged just 54.

The tribute was the brainchild of author and historian Kal Singh Dhindsa, a Derby County fan, who produced a similar memorial to the Scotland star a couple of years ago outside Pride Park.

He said: "My dad died of suicide and so did Hughie, and I've always felt a connection with him. He deserves to be remembered for what he did during his life. I've worked with the family to produce this for Hughie and it will hopefully help inspire the next generation of young players coming through Gateshead."

Terry Ritson, of Redheugh Boys Club, said: "We are delighted to have the plaque here at the club. We are just a stone's throw from where Hughie finished his career at Redheugh Park, so it's a fitting place for it to be, and we'll be able to tell all of our young players about his achievements."

Hughie Gallacher's grandson backs Newcastle United to emulate Wembley Wizards

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