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Boys of '69 head to Hungary for Fairs Cup celebration
Written by Mark Hannen
Four representatives of the Newcastle United squad that famously lifted the Inter Cities Fairs Cup on a glorious balmy night in Budapest 50 years ago next month flew out to the Hungarian capital on Friday as guests of the Újpest club to take part in their celebrations of the occasion - which although saw them defeated 6-2 on aggregate in the two-legged final, was the only time they had reached a major European final.
The players who travelled - pictured here at Newcastle Airport - were Bob Moncur, Alan Foggon, John Craggs and Keith Dyson; Moncur and Foggon of course memorably scored in the second leg of the final in Budapest on 11th June, 1969.
Officials from the Újpest club, now named Újpest FC rather than Újpest Dozsa as they were when the two sides met, invited the United players to Budapest to be their guests at their home game with Debrecen on Saturday which, as it turns out, will be a crucial fixture which will go a long way to deciding which of the two teams qualifies for the Europa League next season.
The players will attend a VIP reception prior to the game at the Szusza Ferenc Stadion along with former players from Újpest, before heading out on to the pitch at half time as part of Újpest's 50-year celebrations.
Ujpest's ground has been their home since 1922 but was called the Megyeri uti Stadion when the Magpies played there in 1969. The current name was given to the stadium in 2003, in honour of their legendary player Ferenc Szusza.
Look out for pictures and updates from the trip on our social media channels.