The day Alnwick Town Ladies and Newcastle United played in front of 22,000 fans at St. James' Park

It was a piece of women’s footballing history. Four years ago to the day, in front of a record crowd numbering some 22,134, Alnwick Town Ladies walked out at St. James’ Park to face Newcastle United in the National League Division One North.

Never before had a women’s league match in the English game drawn a larger attendance, with the gate on Tyneside that afternoon comfortably surpassing the previous high of 20,241 set at Old Trafford for a WSL clash between Manchester United and Everton.

While the record has been broken again more recently, the fact that so many turned out for a fourth-tier clash - albeit one between two local sides - made the whole spectacle all the more remarkable, as did the fanfare that surrounded the occasion. From heaving terraces and waving flags, to giant banners strewn across a sea of black and white in the Gallowgate End, this was a day to remember - and at the centre of it all were Alnwick Town Ladies.

Of course, the match itself would not pan out as Alnwick might have hoped. Goals from Katie Barker, Brooke Cochrane, Georgia Gibson, and Beth Guy handed the hosts a comfortable 4-0 victory in their first-ever outing at St. James’ Park, and since then, the two clubs have enjoyed contrasting fortunes too. While a financially fortified Newcastle continue to march up the pyramid towards the promised land of the top flight, Alnwick find themselves in the Premier Division of the North East Regional Women’s League.

But no matter what happens over the coming seasons - and with a third-placed finish well within their grasp this term, there are plenty of reasons for Town to be optimistic moving forward - that famous afternoon in 2022 will remain a significant moment for all involved.

As Newcastle head coach Becky Langley put it at the time: "It's just such a fantastic experience. The crowds today, I'm just so proud of. Everyone came together as a city and Newcastle fans have done the whole club proud. To come out in such big numbers for a women's football game is just something that we could only have dreamed of."