The Club is on countdown to August 15 - launch day for the new Umbro away kit as well as the Barclays Premier League opener at Blackburn.

We want to celebrate our travelling fans' memories of those special Awayday moments, and John68 provides us with a marvellous evocation of the day in 1968 when Joe Mercer's City crowned an incredible season ...

WE'LL BE RUNNIN' ROUND NEWCASTLE WITH THE LEAGUE". We'd been singing it all season. “WE'LL BE RUNNIN' ROUND NEWCASTLE WITH THE LEAGUE”. As the season progressed, it had gradually become more meaningful.

Now the day had arrived, the moment of truth. Could we ... would we today be crowned the Champions of English Fooball?

The papers had been building it up all week. It was a straight fight between us and the reds ... we had the better goal average, they needed the extra point. And they were at home, playing a relegated Sunderland.

They reckoned over 26,000 City fans made the pilgrimage to Tyneside that day. On the M62 and A1 it was like an Attenborough film of migrating sky blue wildebeest. Hartshead Moor Services was a mass of singing City fans.

The coach slowed to a halt. “Puncture,” shouted the driver. “I can't change it, we'll have to wait for help”. No way! We leapt out, set about the spare, and within minutes “Team City” was rolling again. Panic over.

By 1.45 we were inside the ground and it was already half-full. I was in the Leazes End. Opposite in the open end the City fans were also massing. I'd never seen so many of us so far away from home ...

“JOE...JOE...JOE MER-CER” ... we were in fine voice... ”ALLI-ALLI-ALLI-ALLI...ALLISON” ... we got a wave ... “CIII-TEEE” ... the noise came straight back to us like an echo... it seemed all of St James' Park was Blue.

Newcastle settled quickly, we seemed nervous. For us it was more life and death. Then Buzzer was downed by McNamee ... ”FREE KICK” ... Doyle slipped the ball to Bell - back to Doyle - to Summerbee ... “GOOOAAAL!”

From the kick off the Magpies attacked. Heslop cut it out, forayed forward, lost the ball. It was pushed to Sinclair, slipped out to Pop Robson, who put it beyond Mulhearn ... 1-1, a minute after we'd taken the lead.

We were silenced, but not for long. A Doyle clearance was put out for a throw-in ... Buzzer to Bell on the edge of the area, back out to Oakes. The through ball was deflected ...to Neil Young ... "GOOOOOAAAAAAL". McFaul was helpless, we were delirious ... 2-1. CUMMON YOOO BLOOOS!

John68

Seconds later, the next attack from Newcastle. We were still in full voice ... Heslop cleared but found a Newcastle shirt ... Sinclair in space, long ball straight to him, he whacked it into the top corner ... We were in bits ...2-2, and my nails were down to my elbows.

This was typical City. Someone shouted at half time that the reds were losing to Sunderland. It was true but we didn't believe him ...we daren't.

It was real end-to-end stuff. Then ... Doyle calmly to Book, who slid a precision pass through to Bell. He slipped one and beat another - shot ... blocked near the line. We were up - No! The ball rolled free, and Young steamed in. "NEEE-LEEE, NEEE-LEEE". We were back in front, 3-2. Could we make it stick this time?

Newcastle fought for everything. Book stopped them in their tracks. It was fast and it was furious. At the other end it was Lee again fighting for the ball - it went to Book, Lee chased into space ... "ONSIDE!" The Skipper's pass was inch perfect. Lee hit it ... 4-2. "YEEEEEESSS!!" Lee was mobbed by fans and players alike. Surely now?

The floodgates opened in the stands ... "CHAM-PIONS” ... how long left? ... "CHAM-PIONS" ... the reds were still losing ... "CHAM-PIONS" ... we sang, we danced, we kissed, we hugged ... and sang some more. Then Newcastle steamed forward, McNamee went up for the cross. Suddenly it was 4-3.

We screamed!!! CIII-TEEE, CIII-TEEE. Our throats had no more to give. The "Champions" chant was put on hold ... CIII-TEEE ... how long left? CIII-TEEE ... nine minutes ... CIII-TEE ... eight ...

My mate George nudged me and nodded forward. CIII-TEEE ... seven minutes. George and I were at the front.  CIII-TEEE ... six minutes, we were over the wall and next to the pitch. CIII-TEEE. Half the crowd seemed to be stood round the edges. CIII-TEEE ... the ... longest ... last ... five ... minutes ... of ... my ... life.

The chant started slowly. "CHAA-AM-PIONS". It got louder and gradually spread. "CHAA-AM-PIONS". The whole ground seemed to take it up. We didn't hear the final whistle. Mulhearn looked round, then ran. "CHAA-AMP-IONS". We were with him, across the pitch. It was chaos, wonderful, beautiful, chaos.

"CHAA-AMP-IONS". Someone asked how the reds had gone on. Who cared?. "CHAA-AMP-IONS". All those freezing nights hitch-hiking to games. "CHAA-AM-PIONS". Those coach journeys, the lost sleep. "CHAA-AM-PIONS". All the mickey-takes by the reds. Every penny, every pint ... every kick, every header, every free kick, every Kippax song. All rolled into one ... "WE ARE THE SKY BLUE CHAMPIONS OF ALL ENGLAND".