• 

• News
• North East News
• Kevin Keegan

Kevin Keegan was honoured before today's match(Image: Craig Connor/ChronicleLive)

Kevin Keegan has been remembered at the Gateshead FC vs Newcastle United match, with players and fans honouring 'King Kev'. At a windy Gateshead International Stadium, the two sides meet in a pre-season friendly on Saturday afternoon.

As the players took to the pitch and greeted one another, a banner was held up in honour of Kevin Keegan. Then, they gathered around the centre circle, with a minute of silence observed by all in the stadium, ended with a period of thunderous applause in honour of the late legend.

The team, which includes first-team regulars like Joe Willock, Lewis Hall, Harvey Barnes, and Jacob Ramsey, and those on the Gateshead side too, also honoured Keegan by wearing black armbands for the duration of the game, as NUFC continues to mourn the loss of a local hero.

Kevin Keegan is honoured at the Gateshead FC vs Newcastle United pre-season friendly, at the Gateshead International Stadium (Image: Chronicle Live)

Manager Eddie Howe, who earlier this week visited St James' Park alongside today's captain Jacob Murphy to honour his predecessor, is back on the touchline in front of fans. Both sets of supports are said to have 'honoured the silence impeccably', showing the impact Keegan had across Tyneside.

The match itself, which is ongoing, is the second pre-season meeting between the two sides in three years, with the Magpies coming from behind to defeat the Heed 3-2 in their last meeting back in July of 2023, on a day notable for the heavy rain experiences by away fans in the uncovered section of the stadium.

Kevin Keegan is honoured at the Gateshead FC vs Newcastle United pre-season friendly, at the Gateshead International Stadium (Image: Chronicle Live)

After this, Newcastle take on Bristol City, Valencia, Everton, Bayer Leverkusen, and then RC Strasbourg to round-off their pre-season preparations. Gateshead on the other hand, will meet South Shields FC and Spennymoor Town, with the National League season starting earlier.

Make sure to keep an eye on our website to see a gallery of photographs from the game itself which is coming this afternoon, featuring pictures of fans of both teams, who will have had an enjoyable afternoon regardless of the result.

ChronicleLive has created a dedicated WhatsApp community for breaking news and our biggest stories. You can join this WhatsApp community here. It will keep you up-to-date with news as it breaks and our top stories of the day sent directly to your phone.

Did you know you can make ChronicleLive a preferred source of North East news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here's more information about what this means and how to do it - you can also do it straight away by clicking here.