All 21 Of Newcastle's Premier League Opening Day Fixtures

Date: 9 August 1998

Venue: St James' Park

Result: 2-1

Starting XI: Given; Pistone, Watson, Albert, Beresford, Pearce; Kestbaia, Batty, Lee; Tomasson, Asprilla.

Goals: Asprilla (2, 72)

Yellow Cards: Batty

Debuts: Pearce, Pistone, Ketsbaia, Tomasson

Manager: Kenny Dalglish

What Happened?

Dalglish's new-look Newcastle was virtually unrecognisable without Peter Beardsley, Les Ferdinand and David Ginola, along with the injury-stricken Alan Shearer, but his side were comfortable winners against Sheffield Wednesday. Faustino Asprilla, shouldering the striking burden in Shearer's absence, struck twice to win the contest for the Magpies. His first, a thunderous close-range volley from Phillipe Albert's knock-down, came in the second minute, before it was cancelled out by Benito Carbone's sublime overhead kick six minutes later. But, from a Jon Dahl Tomasson set up, the mercurial Colombian rifled the ball inside the near at the Gallowgate End to earn the three points.

League Position: 4th

Was It A Sign Of Things To Come?

Certainly not. Dalglish's decision to dismantle Keegan's 'Entertainers' and replace them with his ageing ex-Liverpool cohorts - messrs John Barnes and Ian Rush - backfired and killed the attacking verve that Newcastle once played with, replaced instead by dour, defensive-minded football. Despite a largely forgettable league campaign, Dalglish somehow managed to take a Newcastle team to Wembley for a first FA Cup final since 1974. And he is also partly redeemed on the basis that he brought Gary Speed to the club.

Final League Position: 13th