‘He’s from Blyth, you’ll never ever beat Dan Burn’ - inside a stunning night for one of our own

As Newcastle continued to pepper Danny Ward’s goal to break the deadlock on a nervy night at St James’s Park, one man took it upon himself to ensure he wrote his name into Newcastle folklore. After closing down Marc Albrighton’s clearance, Dan Burn latched onto a cushioned pass by Joelinton, shrugged off two defenders and coolly slotted the ball past Ward.

The Gallowgate erupted in a cacophony of noise, very quickly followed by Burn knee sliding towards the corner flag, almost in disbelief at what had transpired less than ten seconds before. At that moment Newcastle needed a hero and it was Burn that responded in a moment that perfectly encapsulated a stunning 12 months he has had since rejoining his boyhood club.

"I can't really remember it to be honest,” Burn admitted post-match. “I like to get forward and stuff, I took a good touch, took a swing at it and it's gone in, but it's just a bit of a blur.

"After that I was just sprinting and I was running out of pitch so I had to do something, so I just did a knee slide. All of my family sit in that box [in the Gallowgate West Corner] as well so for it to be on that side was good.

“I get quite a lot of stick for not scoring enough goals and I missed a sitter with a header and stuff as well but no one can take that away from me now. It's what you dream of when you're a kid as a Newcastle fan, scoring in front of the Gallowgate, so to do that in a pretty important game is amazing.”

After making his way through the football league pyramid, via non-league, back to his boyhood club, Burn’s transfer to Newcastle went largely under-the-radar in the dying days of last year’s January transfer window, with the hype surrounding Bruno Guimaraes’ move to Tyneside dominating headlines. However, Burn joined with huge good-will from supporters that wanted to see one of their own do well in the black and white.

And over the last year, that’s exactly what Burn has done. Whether it was forging a partnership alongside Fabian Schar at the end of last season, or by shifting into an unnatural position at fullback this campaign, the 30-year-old has become an integral part of Eddie Howe’s side.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Burn though. A torrid time at Spurs away last season and a battle with Bukayo Saka just last week spring to mind, but on the whole, he’s barely put a foot wrong.

And that’s something the north east, particularly Northumberland, should take huge pride in. Children up and down the county will now look to Burn as one of their heroes.

His backstory is one of rejection and disappointment turned into redemption and glory. One that highlights just how far you can get in life by simply working hard.

Whenever Burn’s story at Newcastle comes to an end, it will be a remarkable read - one that could even involve a chapter at Wembley.