Sir John Hall was walking through Chinatown in the shadow of St James' Park recently when he experienced a wave of emotions not felt since the days of his Newcastle United ownership.
'I was going to the Landmark restaurant before the match and was right among the crowd - I have never felt so much joy, happiness and hope in many years,' the 89-year-old tells Sportsmail.
'They were all stopping me and wanting to talk about the players, manager and owners. That excitement, it brought back a lot of memories.'
It was in 1992 that Hall, having rescued the club from the brink of liquidation as founder of the fan-led Magpie Group, appointed manager Kevin Keegan and the team was saved from relegation to the old Third Division.