AS the star of the Newcastle United side that reached the FA Youth Cup final the early 80s it came as no great surprise when Paul Gascoigne broke into the first team as a teenager.

His progress as a young player had been monitored by Newcastle Chronicle writer Alan Oliver and he confessed: "I think we were all well aware that he was going to be a star.

"Having said that, when he came into the first team everyone was pleasantly surprised that he settled in so quickly.

"It was Willie McFaul who gave him his full debut in a 1-1 draw at Southampton and he didn't let anybody down."

In those days the relationship between the Magpies and the Chronicle was a great deal closer than it is today and so Oliver saw his boyish antics at first hand.

"He was always as a daft as a brush," he admitted. "We were very close to the club in those days, we would travel with them, stay in the same hotel as them and sit and chat with them.

"I remember coming back on the train one time after a trip down south. I lived in the countryside away from Newcastle and so always got off at Durham and Gazza decided he was going to sit next to me and try to keep me on the train until Newcastle.

"It was really hard to get off and there was no doubt he would have kept me on if he could. He was full of daft antics."

And getting in touch with the young player was not easy as he was not on the phone at home.

"I used to ring him at Dunstan's Excelsior Club if I wanted an interview although it is a lot harder to get to speak to him nowadays.

"But he was a lovely lad back then even if he was mad. You could not help but like him because he had infectious character. It was certainly a sad day when he left Newcastle.

"The club did not just lose a great player, they lost a real character."