Remember 1976? Dennis Tueart and Malcolm Macdonald reflect on Newcastle's last League Cup final

Two football legends who went head-to-head the last time Newcastle United played in a League Cup Final have reflected on the moment ahead of Sunday's match.

The Magpies will be at Wembley once again to face Manchester United in a winner-takes-all clash, which could see Newcastle end a trophy drought that stretches back to 1969.

They have had a few near-misses in the intervening 54 years - including on 28 February in 1976 when Newcastle-born Dennis Tueart broke geordie hearts by scoring the winner for Manchester City to snatch the League Cup from their grasp.

With the scores level, Tueart pulled out an audacious overhead kick with his back to goal to give City the lead and ultimately, make sure the trophy went to the North West rather than the North East. The moment was later voted as the greatest moment in the history of the League Cup.

Reflecting on the events of that day, he said: "You just had to blank that out of your mind that I was playing for Manchester City even though Newcastle had rejected you when you were 15 and you had to focus on the game.

"As I'm running away I know it's a special goal. In the background you see the crowd and you could see a few Newcastle supporters applauding. While they were disappointed I had scored and it was me, I think they appreciated the quality."

He added: "I had a lot of family and friends at that game, probably more people at the Newcastle end that I knew than at the Manchester end. As we were walking away from the stadium after the game my brother Kevin turned to me and said 'don't tell anyone who we are'."

At the final whistle, Tueart adorned a black and white shirt and carried the trophy into the Newcastle United dressing room.

It was a hammer blow to Malcolm 'Supermac' Macdonald, who was lining up in black and white that day. It would prove to be his final chance at winning a trophy with Newcastle before leaving for Arsenal.

"We really did feel like we could win that game," he said. "And forced to get beaten by a Newcastle United supporter was quite galling.

"The frustration was immense and it lasted a long time as well."

However, both players believe that, regardless of the outcome, this will certainly not be the last time Newcastle will be fighting for a trophy at Wembley.

Tueart said: "Over the years there's never been complete stability from top to bottom. There have always been issues.

"Now that's been stabilised a bit. Eddie Howe looks like a very stable manager."

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