da esport bet： If you mention the 1997 FA Cup final to any Chelsea fan, you can be sure that Roberto Di Matteo’s first minute rocket will be the fondest memory of a day that became the catalyst for the success the club have enjoyed over the last 13 years.
da 888： Ask the same group of fans who scored the Blues’ second goal that afternoon, and you may well find an answer hard to come by. However, for academy product and club stalwart, Eddie Newton, that afternoon in May 1997 marked the proudest moment of his career as he poked in from short range and confirmed Chelsea’s first silverware in 26 years.
Even in 1997 Chelsea had a penchant for foreign players, and by the time Ruud Gullit’s men had beaten Middlesbrough at Wembley that year, the club had something of a reputation for attracting talent from the continent that belied their mid-table status in the Premier League. For Newton this desire to look further a field ultimately cost the likable Englishman his place in the Chelsea squad, and a chance at Champions League football- reward for the Blues’ stellar league performance in his final season at the Bridge.
Nevertheless, Newton’s career at Chelsea is a fascinating story of the transition the Blues made from being better known for the hooligan element of their fan base, struggling to stay afloat both financially and within the confines of the Premier League, to becoming regular silverware winners and a force in the upper echelons of English football.
Newton’s initial impact on the top flight was limited. Farmed out by then Chelsea manager Ian Porterfield to play lower league football with Cardiff, Newton scored half the league goals he managed with his parent club during that one season in Wales. Although a defensive midfielder by trade, Newton’s performances with the Bluebirds were enough to convince Porterfield and later future England manager, Glenn Hoddle, that he was worthy of a place in the Blues’ midfield.
Undoubtedly, the success of Newton’s Wembley appearance in 1997 was made all the sweeter as he buried the memories of Chelsea’s 1994 4-0 drubbing against Manchester United, in which Newton gave away one of two penalties, as Glenn Hoddle’s men imploded after being level at half-time.
Chelsea’s endeavours in England’s premier domestic cup competition that season were rewarded with a place in the Cup Winners Cup, and with the Blues making it all the way to the semi-finals, there was a genuine sense of belief beginning to surface that the West London outfit were destined for greater things. Newton himself gained some recognition of his performances as he made a handful of appearances for the England under 21 side, although hopes of any further international recognition were dashed when he spent much of 1996 out of football with a broken leg.
Returning to the side now managed by Ruud Gullit during the successful 96-97 season, Newton slotted right back into the side and was a near ever present during the Wembley run. That season, however, marked the beginning of the end for Newton as substitute appearances began to outweigh the amount of starts he was afforded in Chelsea’s engine room. With Gullit’s shock departure in the early months of 1998, Newton enjoyed something of an Indian summer and was granted more game time under new manager, Gianluca Vialli as he played in both of the cup final wins against Stuttgart in the Cup Winners Cup and against old foes Middlesbrough in the League Cup.
After leaving Stamford Bridge in 1999, Newton’s career nose-dived. Already struggling with a chronic knee-injury, the midfielder went from the Premier League to non-league football with Hayes within 18 months, and complete retirement before he had turned 30.
As his career began to wind down, Newton’s plans for life after football were put sharply into focus. Initially teaching the sport to young kids and taking his coaching badges, Newton’s time in the spotlight appeared to have passed. Stories about the Chelsea legend were confined to novelty reports on his unorthodox decision to convert to Islam.
It was, however, a chance meeting with fellow FA Cup hero, Roberto Di Matteo, himself pursuing coaching qualifications after his career was prematurely ended by injury, that catapulted the former Chelsea midfielder back into the top flight. After both gaining their qualifications, they formed a coaching partnership that has already born considerable fruit. Now Di Matteo’s right hand man at West Brom, this year’s Premier League surprise package Newton has clawed his way back to where he was before injury robbed him of his playing career.
There may be some irony in the fact that Di Matteo is the face of West Brom’s Premier League adventure, whilst a former top flight stalwart sits in the background, just as it was back in 1997. However, for Eddie Newton, this is the way it has always been and he wouldn’t change it.
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