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Last season was one of our better league results at Ewood Park, a 2-2 draw sealing qualification for the Champions League. No surprise that Alan Shearer scored the goals.
In January 2000 we travelled to Blackburn in the FA Cup and emerged as 2-1 victors, with Alan Shearer scoring both goals but choosing to change his one arm salute celebration for an impression of an archer.
Another FA Cup tie in 1999 saw us emerge 1-0 winners with a Louis Saha wonder goal created by Judas Hamman.
NIGHTMARE RECENT MATCHES
Probably best not to dwell on the events of 8th April 1996, as I’ve spent too much of my life dreaming about what might have been already. Suffice it to say that if Graham Fenton breaks his leg for Darlington on Saturday I won’t be shedding too many tears.
Another of my least favourite away trips was watching David Speedie score a hat-trick against us in the 3-1 defeat in 1992.
Generally speaking our recent clashes with Rovers have been characterised by dull low scoring games and our overall record at Ewood Park is very poor.
Played 58 Won 14 Drawn11 Lost 33 For 62 Against 107
For full head to head stats on Newcastle against all opponents click here.
OLD BOYS
Alan Shearer returns to the scene of many of his Premiership goals and will inevitably get booed by the home fans. Poor reward for the man who single-handedly won the championship for a small Lancashire club.
Blackburn have both Andy Cole and Keith Gillespie in their ranks, both players who started well at St James and then left under a cloud.
Cole scored 41 goals in our first season in the premiership but then departed for Old Trafford and slagged us of for several years after.
Gillespie was part of a marvellous forward line with Pedro, Sir Les and Daveed, but a bad foul by Nicky Butt and off the field problems saw his Newcastle career slip away from him.
THE GAME
Graeme Souness has turned Blackburn into a premiership force again and they are never easy to beat – ask Liverpool. But this is a game we really should be winning if we are realistically looking to qualify for the Champions League again.
MY PREDICTION
Blackburn 0 Newcastle United 1
LANDMARKS
Alan Shearer needs one strike for 300 league and cup goals
A win for us would be our 500th away league win of all time
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