Yeading v Newcastle United
The FA Cup, Third Round
Loftus Road
09 January 2005, 1.45pm

Viv Busby, a member of the Newcastle side beaten by non-League Hereford in one of The FA Cup's greatest giant-killings, reckons the Magpies have had a lucky escape before a ball is kicked in Sunday's Third Round tie with Yeading.

The game has been switched from The Warren - Yeading's humble home - to Queens Park Rangers, but Newcastle's pairing with the Ryman League side has naturally evoked memories of the Geordies' nightmare at Edgar Street nearly 33 years ago.

And Busby literally has inside knowledge on Yeading which, he insists, should make Graeme Souness's side grateful that the tie is going ahead at Loftus Road.

While youth team coach at Swindon, Busby took a side to Yeading for a friendly with a Chelsea team under Steve Clarke, once assistant to Ruud Gullit at Newcastle and now Jose Mourinho's No.2 at Stamford Bridge.

Busby, now caretaker-manager of Conference side York City, said: "I think Newcastle will be very happy that the tie has been switched to QPR. At least they'll get more of their fans in. Loftus Road holds about 20,000 and, knowing Newcastle fans, they could fill that themselves.

"I went to Yeading last year with Swindon, so I know what it's like. We went there for an Under-16 game with Chelsea. Steve Clarke was in charge of Chelsea and he had a few lads on trial he wanted to see.

"There wasn't much to the place. The changing rooms were tiny, but the strange thing was it was a massive pitch.

"I think it's definitely beneficial to Newcastle that the game has been switched. I don't think they would have enjoyed going there.''

Busby was on loan with Newcastle when Ronnie Radford and Ricky George grabbed the goals that stunned the Magpies in a Third Round replay in February 1972.

It was Busby's cross that Malcolm Macdonald headed in to hand Newcastle the lead. Busby said:"A lot of people still ask me about it and, of course, it comes up every year when it's the Third Round - it's always re-run on TV.

"We'd drawn 2-2 at home, but I didn't play in that one because I had flu.

The replay was supposed to be midweek, but it was called off and played on the Saturday. We were down there for the week - and we trained on Hereford racecourse!

"It was amazing. I remember Malcolm mouthing off, saying he would get ten goals against them. To be fair, he could have had ten, but on the day they didn't go in, apart from one.

"It was 0-0 at half-time and in the second half I stuck one to the back post and Malcolm nodded in. We thought that was it, we were through.

"But ten minutes later we were 2-1 down and we said, 'What's going on here?'

"The pitch was an absolute quagmire and Ronnie Radford just let fly from about 30 yards. The second goal was a scruffy one, but somehow it went in and we were out. That's The Cup for you, that's why it's still the greatest competition in the world.

"I was also on the wrong end of a shock when I was with Stoke and we lost at home to Blyth Spartans.

"But the dressing room after the defeat by Hereford was the worst I've experienced.

To get beaten by a non-League team, when we were a First Division side, was incredible.

"It was the finish for me with Newcastle. I was on a three-month loan from Luton and Joe Harvey said, 'I'm sorry Viv, I can't keep you. If we'd got through we would have had the money to pay for you.'

"I was absolutely gutted because I loved it at Newcastle. The fans are magnificent and it's a brilliant club.''