Sky Sports came under fire for failing to properly broadcast Hector Gannet's emotional rendition of the Blaydon Races before Newcastle United's 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday, with the pre-match moment largely overlooked by the wider media.
The performance by Aaron Duff, the singer behind the club's new anthem, was not even shown as a 10-second clip on BBC Match of the Day. Sky Sports instead chose to display a few moving images of the North Shields singer while Jamie Redknapp spoke over the top, with no audio of the song aired.
Emotional rendition in a near-empty stadium
Just after lunchtime, Duff had belted out his sound check in a near-empty stadium, apart from a few journalists setting up early and some stewards. Even then, the emotional rendition earned a warm round of applause, and the song was also very well received by the 50,000 Geordie fans inside moments before kick off.
Duff had said last week: "We have a duty to celebrate our heritage, to preserve it, to pay it forward and ensure that those words are sung with pride for generations to come. It’s a song that we all have a connection to, it takes us to a time and a place, unique to our own lives."
"During recording I put everything into it, I was thinking about my son, my Mam and Dad and all the family and friends at home, and all those we’ve lost along the way too, I can almost hear their voices, like they’re with us when we sing this."
Missed opportunity for broadcasters
It was a shame that Sky Sports opted against tapping into that moment, given Duff's emotions were clear to show as he stayed composed and did the song justice. Anthems like You'll Never Walk Alone at Liverpool or Man United's Stone Roses' walk-out song, This is the One, get the full treatment, so why not at Newcastle for those who are already paying through the nose for Sky subscriptions?
As Duff wandered off the pitch to a standing ovation, he looked like he was in bits as he headed back down the tunnel at the Leazes End. By then, Sky Sports had well and truly missed the trick with Redknapp and co still waffling from a studio.
Promising start for pre-match anthem
Most fans would have felt what Duff was going through too, and with Newcastle aware that they need to work on their pre-match anthem, this was a promising start. Just days after Coventry City had set the tone for their 4-1 win with the Sky Blues walking out to the spine-tingling 2007 hit We'll Live and Die in These Towns by The Enemy, it's good to see Newcastle chiefs taking pre-match duties seriously.
Despite mixed reviews online, the song can be part of the match day experience at St James' Park and hopefully it can gain momentum. For many, Duff simply fighting off the emotion of a song that is part of the fabric of the region said it all, and the crowd joined in with him. The only negative was that the team could not match the singer's passion on the day as a poor performance unfolded.
