Home is where the heart is for Beardsley

Vancouver, September 1983. It’s mid-afternoon and a 22-year-old Peter Beardsley has just returned to his car outside one of the city’s bustling shopping malls. Almost 4,500 miles away, his beloved Newcastle United have just kicked off their sixth straight season as a Second Division side. They’ve had something of an inconsistent start, accruing plenty of points early on but failing to record victories in succession.

“When Arthur Cox rang me, I honestly didn’t believe it was him,” Beardsley reveals. “I genuinely thought it was one of the lads at Vancouver Whitecaps winding me up. I’d never even heard Arthur’s voice before.

"I was looking around while I was on the phone, and I was saying certain things to Arthur that were perhaps surprising for him. He said, ‘You’re definitely speaking to Arthur Cox,’ and eventually he convinced me.”

Beardsley had first arrived on Canada’s western shores the previous year, on the back of a successful spell with Carlisle United.

He had moved across the A69 following a brief trial period at St. James’ Park, reuniting with former Newcastle skipper Bob Moncur.

A newlywed, Beardsley had barely had time to settle in Vancouver before he returned to England with another United, the Red Devils of Manchester, only to head back across the Atlantic after just a single appearance.

Now, having established himself as one of the NASL outfit’s leading lights, Beardsley had the chance to return home.

“At the time, I think Vancouver had been looking to sell me on,” he recalls. “It sounds big-headed, but I was voted the best player in their history last year. I loved my time there, but to have the opportunity to come back and play for my hometown club was unbelievable.

“And now, it was based on real merit. I knew I had the ability to do it. I’d matured a lot, grown a lot, and physically I was a better player.”

And so, more than four years on from his only previous appearance – a trial game for which he received £2 in expenses – Beardsley’s return to Gallowgate was confirmed. 24 hours later, he made his first-team bow, entering the fray as a second-half substitute in the Magpies’ 1-1 draw at Barnsley.

“Those first eight or nine months were unbelievable,” he smiles. “We got promotion that season, and from the beginning, they were convinced it was going to happen.

"We only finished third in the end, because Chelsea and Sheffield Wednesday were two strong teams, but we were a comfortable third. It was brilliant.”

At the heart of United’s renaissance was a certain Kevin Keegan. His arrival the previous year had sparked a wave of euphoria on Tyneside, and – ably supported by Beardsley and a young Chris Waddle – Keegan’s goalscoring prowess was to prove influential as Newcastle ended their exodus from the top-flight.

“We could argue all day about who Newcastle’s greatest number nine is, but as far as the number seven shirt is concerned, the best ever is Kevin Keegan – no doubt about it,” Beardsley states.

“By the end of January, we knew it was going to be Kevin’s last season. And for him to leave as he did – against Liverpool (in a friendly game at St. James’ Park), in a helicopter, from the middle of the pitch – was something you just dream of.

“There is still something I’m annoyed about, though. As Kevin was getting into the helicopter, he took his shirt off, and I was thinking, ‘What is he doing?!’ He gave the shirt to a policeman, and then the helicopter took him up to Gosforth Park. All of the players, as well as Kevin’s wife, Jean, made their own way there. When I got there, the first thing Kevin said to me was, ‘Did you get the shirt?’ I said, ‘Well, I saw you take it off.’ And then he said, ‘I gave it to the policeman and I told him to give it to you.’ I was gobsmacked, and I’ve never seen it again, so some lucky policeman has Kevin’s last shirt ever – but it was meant for me.

“Luckily, I do have one of Kevin’s shirts, though he didn’t wear it the day I wore it. He got injured close to the end of the season, and we were playing Huddersfield away. We knew he couldn’t play, because we were playing cricket in the gym and he got hit in the face by the ball – we did stupid things like that in those days. We were on our way down on the morning and Arthur said to me, ‘I want you to wear number seven today, rather than number eight.’ And, wow, that was unbelievable. It was only for one day – and rightly so – but it was really thoughtful of Arthur. He said, ‘There is only one person who can wear that shirt after Kevin.’”

Following Keegan’s retirement, United looked to consolidate their place in the First Division. They posted finishes of fourteenth, eleventh and seventeenth before Beardsley swapped Tyneside for Merseyside in 1987.

Anfield was to be his first destination. During a four-year spell with the Reds, he won two English titles and an FA Cup. Prominence on an international stage also came his way. Though he had made his England bow while still a Newcastle player, it was during his time with Liverpool that Beardsley was handed the bulk of his 59 caps.

In 1991, he headed across Stanley Park to Everton, where he netted 32 times in 95 appearances, and also became one of just three players to score for both clubs in Merseyside derbies.

But, by the beginning of the 1993-94 campaign – with the First Division now rebranded as the Premiership – Beardsley was a United player again.

“KK was the manager by now,” he recalls. “He just asked me to do exactly what he had done for the side ten years earlier. He said, ‘Whatever you think needs to happen on the field, do it.’ And within a year, I ended up being the captain, which was just brilliant. I wasn’t a shouter – I wasn’t a loud captain, as such. In Kevin’s words, I led my example. I ran around and I gave my maximum in every game, and to be fair, that’s all the fans ever asked for.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a superstar like Alan Shearer or, with respect, a lesser player – all the supporters ask is that you give it your maximum, and that’s why they get on a player’s side. Look at Aleksandar Mitrović now – he is such a wholehearted player, and that’s why the fans love and adore him. He realises that and he plays to that. When he scored those two goals against Preston (last Tuesday), the reaction of the crowd was unbelievable.”

By the mid-1990s, Newcastle were a Premiership force. European football returned to St. James’ Park, and the following season, a United side containing the likes of David Ginola, Faustino Asprilla and Les Ferdinand finished second in the top-flight, having topped the table for much of the year.

Now, more than 20 years on, does Beardsley ever look back to the near-miss of the 1995-96 campaign?

“I think about it – (Philippe) Albert’s goal, the 5-0 – things like that. But I’m not sitting at home every night looking back. At the time, it was brilliant, and it will always be special. And the great thing was that I was the captain of the side. I will always have been the captain of the Entertainers, and nobody will take that away from me. It’d have been great to win something, but the real pleasure came from being around that group of people.”

And, last month, they came together once more, as the Entertainers – all, by now, in their 40s and 50s – took on a Manchester United Select XI at Kingston Park. Over 6,000 spectators turned out for the event, with all proceeds going towards the Alan Shearer Foundation.

“Anything for a game of footy!” Beardsley laughs. “I spoke to Al in the build-up, and – being honest – I was 50-50 about playing. I’m 55 – a lot older than the rest of them – and it’s been a long time since I played in a game like that. I didn’t want to embarrass myself. But, Al said I’d be alright, and he persuaded me to play. And in the end, I was really pleased I did. I was lucky – after three or four minutes, I pinged the ball out wide to John Beresford. The crowd reacted and it made me feel good, and from that moment on, there was nothing to worry about. Luckily, I didn’t look the oldest. Well, physically I did – but not on the field!

“The only disappointment was that David Ginola couldn’t be there. Sadly he wasn’t well enough to attend. People thought I was a good player, but he and Tino were on a different planet to me. Some of the things he did on the pitch were mesmerising. For me to be mentioned in the same breath as those two – and the likes of Al, Les, Andy Cole and Rob Lee – is just great. And I also had the chance to play with two of the very best – KK and Terry Mac.

“Everyone knew that Kevin was brilliant, but Terry was a superstar. He never realised it, but wow, he was on a different wavelength. If I picked my best team ever, he would definitely be in it. And as an assistant, he was brilliant too. He wouldn’t speak to the group – he would speak to us all individually. He’d say small things, but they were amazing.”

Fast-forward to the present day, and it is fitting that Beardsley’s contribution to the Club should be recognised on an afternoon where Cardiff City are the visitors to Gallowgate – the side against whom he netted his first United goal 33 years ago.

And how does he feel to be one of the 12 legends being honoured during today’s unique pre-match initiative?

“It’s amazing to be considered,” he says, proudly. “To be among the first 12, if you like – there may be another 12 down the line – is really special.

“As I keep telling our kids, you can’t pay to play for Newcastle United. It’s something you have to treasure and love, and that’s where I was lucky. The fans here are special, and they always will be. It will always be a special club. I did some stadium tours last week, and the people who were on it just couldn’t believe what we have here. Everyone who works for the Club is committed to the cause, and that’s where Rafa has been brilliant. Everybody is on the same page, and it’s going to be back to what it was very soon.”