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Newcastle boss Ruud Gullit splashed out £7 million to take Goodison Park
hero Duncan Ferguson to St. James Park, but the big strikers stay in
the North East was one plagued by injuries. It had all started so well
for the powerful Scotsman when he bagged a brace on his debut to help
the Geordies to a 3-1 home win over Wimbledon, but he managed just six
further League games during the remainder of the campaign. After
suffering an injury in Newcatle's 4-2 defeat against Liverpool at
Anfield on 28th December, Ferguson failed to re-appear until April when
coming on for Nolberto Solano in a 2-0 F.A. Cup semi-final win over
Tottenham Hotspur.
In the final itself he was restricted to a
second-half appearance as a substitue for Dietmar Hamann as Arsenal took
the honours with a 2-0 victory. The 1999-2000 season started in much
the same fashion with Duncan struggling with injuries and it was not
until a spell between December and March that he finally began to
justify that massive price tag. He managed to string together fourteen
consecutive League games and formed a formidable partnership with the
predatory Alan Shearer. The pair scored thirteen goals during that
period with Ferguson weighing in with five, including a double in a 5-0
stroll at home to Southampton.
The injury jinx struck again, however,
and Duncan missed the last seven League games of the campaign, although
he did play in the F.A. Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea. That proved to
be his last game for the club as he was off back to Everton in the
close season with the Toffeemen paying £4 million to secure the services
of one of their favourite sons. (David Scranage)
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