Kevin Keegan summoned Andy Cole into his old office at St James' Park to deliver a simple message. As Cole, still adjusting to being the central figure at Newcastle United after his rapid rise from Bristol City, sat down in Keegan's office beneath a portrait of his mentor Bill Shankly, he heard the words: "I'm going to sign a player just for you."
A Masterstroke in the Transfer Market
At the time, few realized Keegan was about to pull off a masterstroke. Critics claimed Peter Beardsley had seen better days, dismissing him as past his best. Yet Keegan believed that at 32 years old and for just £1.5 million, Beardsley was a bargain. Incredibly, after being let go by Liverpool under Graeme Souness, Everton manager Howard Kendall felt the fee was too good to turn down for a so-called "ageing" player.
But this was Peter Beardsley: an ultimate professional, a teetotaler, and a player still in his prime. For Newcastle, it marked the beginning of a wonderful partnership between Beardsley and Cole.
Telepathy on Tyneside
In years past, people spoke of the telepathy between Keegan and John Toshack in front of the Kop. But what of a partnership between a young lad with the world at his feet in his early 20s, Cole, and a player whose idea of a good night was watching television with a tube of wine gums? The result was nothing short of sensational, as goals flowed on Tyneside.
However, the partnership did not start smoothly. Beardsley was literally elbowed out of the Premier League's big kick-off at St James' Park. Returning to his old club, he was the victim of an elbow straight to the face from new Liverpool signing Neil Ruddock. A broken cheekbone delayed Beardsley's second coming at United. When considering their unique goal tally, it is worth remembering it could have been even higher without Ruddock's brutal intervention.
Early Days and Controversy
Beardsley made his Premier League debut on September 18 at Swindon Town in a 2-2 draw. United had held their own in the revamped top flight, and Cole had already bagged five goals before Beardsley entered the fray. It would not be Newcastle without controversy, as Cole stormed out of the camp before a League Cup game at Wimbledon, which United lost 2-1.
Cole recalled the incident: "We had one memorable falling-out, in October 1993, in a week when he lost successive games 2-1, first in the League at Southampton, then at Wimbledon in the League Cup. We were having a training session in London and I felt a bit jaded that day. 'Don't fancy it, today, Coley?' Keegan said. 'I'm just a bit tired boss,' I said. 'Well if you don't fancy it, you can eff off,' he said. So, I effed off. I just got a taxi and left, and spent a few days with my girlfriend (now his wife), who was living in London at the time."
But after that, it was lift-off for Cole and Beardsley. The ex-No. 9 said: "The relationship healed a while after that." In the next four games, United found themselves christened "The Entertainers."
The Entertainers Emerge
Cole and Keegan kissed and made up ahead of the visit of Wimbledon to St James' Park. Beardsley grabbed a hat-trick, and the No. 9 notched on his return. Yet it was arguably a chilly night at Oldham when Sky fell in love with Newcastle. With fans making the trek to Boundary Park in their thousands, United ran riot in a 3-1 win. There were calls for Cole and Beardsley to spearhead an England team that had failed to qualify for the World Cup. A terrific strike from Beardsley and two for Cole, including an audacious chip, set the tone for the rest of the season.
Then came a 3-0 win against Liverpool at St James' Park, with Cole rattling in a first-half hat-trick. Beardsley once recalled: "People used to always talk about me and Andy, but Scott Sellars deserves a lot of credit as well." Indeed, that day Sellars was also unplayable.
Cole told the Chronicle: "The crazy thing is when you first come to the Premier League, nobody knows much about you. I got the opportunity to play at Newcastle. Then I got the opportunity to play with Peter, and it was fantastic. It put me on the map."
Record-Breaking Feats
The stories kept getting bigger. Tottenham were swept aside at White Hart Lane as Beardsley grabbed two, the winner coming in the final moments with the national media now taking notice. It probably did not get any sweeter for Beardsley on his return to Everton that year, as he bagged a superb individual goal summing up his brilliance. The Toon Army then had Goodison Park shaking with a chant of: "Thank you very much for Peter Beardsley."
Through the winter months, the goals continued to leave fans open-mouthed. At Queens Park Rangers, Cole played a stunning one-two with Beardsley for the Geordie genius to volley home at the School End. Defences were being taught a lesson. The performances were so good that Beardsley earned an England recall after a few years out of the picture. There was another Cole hat-trick against Coventry, then the winner at Sheffield Wednesday. And the day when the media made light of the fact that Newcastle netted seven against Swindon Town but Cole did not get on the scoresheet!
Then came the record-breaking moments. Cole's strike in a 5-1 win over Aston Villa meant he was on course to beat Hughie Gallacher's long-term record of 39 goals in one season. There would be more to come before the season ended. Newcastle held a guard of honour to applaud newly-crowned Cup Winners Cup holders Arsenal onto the field for the final game. A Beardsley penalty and a Cole overhead kick sealed a 2-0 win and third place—a remarkable story for the newly-promoted Magpies.
An Unlikely Partnership's Legacy
Beardsley and Cole's 55 goals between them, with 41 for Cole, was a sensational return from the most unlikely of partnerships. Cole had been plying his trade in the Second Division at Bristol City just a season or so before, while Beardsley was effectively written off as "too old." Now, more than 30 years later, their record may be under threat, but the fact that nobody has been able to get anywhere near it underlines what a special strikeforce this really was.
