First Foreign Player - Tony Whitson (v Notts County April, 14th 1906)
For years it was thought the Robledo bothers (George and Ted), born in Iquique in Chile, were the first foreign players ever to play for Newcastle. But, after intense research, we've come across information concerning left-back Tony Whitson who signed for Newcastle in February 1905 and went on to play 145 games for the club. Although of Geordie parents and raised in the north-east, he was born in Capetown in South Africa. He appeared in both FA Cup finals of 1909/10 and 1910/11, but missed the replay against Barnsley because of injury and didn't receive a winners medal. Even before Whitson we found Ten Birnie (born 1878) who also came into contention. He made his Newcastle debut in 1898 and was born in … Sunderland!