Gillespie thought his destination was to a restaurant.
Only his closest friends and family had arranged a surprise—a surprise 50th birthday party a few months back.
And a special guest traveled all the way from Colombia for the occasion.
“When the entrance parted, the first person I saw Tino Asprilla,” Gillespie mentioned. “There he was expecting my arrival. It felt unbelievable as he is a person you don't expect to see at a local golf club.”
“A heartwarming moment,” he added. “I felt overjoyed that someone would actually make that effort just for one night.”
It is now approaching a generation since the pair caused chaos in black and white facing Barça.
But some friendships remain unbroken.
“We connected instantly,” Gillespie said.
As the team gets ready to face the Catalan giants anew, Asprilla will be in attendance at St James' Park this week.
‘Asprilla possessed a certain gaze’
Really, every player connected back in September 1997.
It may have been Newcastle's first-ever game at that elite level, yet ex-player the Belgian stated “the odds were against us because Barcelona were the big favourites.”
And Shay Given, guarding the net, mentioned how Barcelona “believed victory was assured to defeat us.”
That did not prove what happened at a rocking St James' Park.
“I had never witnessed such roaring support,” Given said. “Amazing.”
Yet it was not exactly certain that match-winner Asprilla would even feature – much less net three during the win.
Gillespie remembered how Asprilla “came back tardily after representing his country the previous weekend so there was talk he might not be playing.”
Though the gaffer Dalglish did not exactly have many alternatives for the forward line.
Alan Shearer was sidelined because of a fitness problem and Ferdinand departed for London recently.
It’s no surprise, veteran Warren Barton remembered “Kenny giving Tino the benefit of the doubt.”
It wasn’t the ideal build-up for such a big game, yet Warren felt Asprilla was “in the zone” that night.
“Tino was always reserved pre-match,” he noted. “But he just had an aura about him a determined gaze. He belonged there.”
It wasn’t long before the striker left his mark, earning a foul in the box and putting his side in front from 12 yards midway through the first half.
It soon became clear that he felt inspired.
“Frequently it was evident after two or three minutes what Tino you were going to get,” he commented. “Sometimes he could be terrible, yet he excelled frequently.”
Gillespie and Asprilla combine
Not only the Colombian who delivered a career-defining display.
The winger admitted to admit he was impressed when seeing the opposition before the game and saw the Catalan legends focused.
But the Northern Irishman did not know much about Sergi, regarded as one of the best left-backs during that era.
He aimed to challenge his opponent to see how quick he was.
When he confirmed he could outperform him, he insisted on receiving possession.
Rather than having a trick, Gillespie "dropped the shoulder because he knew he was going to get there first” and delivered a cross toward the area.
Tino finished it.
In addition to netting his side's lead with a bullet header, he added a third through another header amazing the chairman speechless.
“Asprilla was phenomenal that night,” Hall stated. “Observers noticed levitate when the ball came to him - and score!”
The visitors scored twice, through Luis Enrique and Figo, yet the Magpies resisted. Narrowly.
It is still one of the most famous results for Newcastle.
In some ways, it was appropriate that Tino didn’t net another goal for the club before leaving a few months later.
Could it be topped?
Barton called it his finest hour.
A tactical change
Such occasions Asprilla came alive.
There was a sense a coincidence that the striker scored several goals for Newcastle in 11 European games compared to league matches.
Yet Asprilla's top-flight debut was memorable following his £6.7m move from Parma in February 1996.
He wasn’t expected to feature immediately after landing amid snowfall dressed unusually just days before.
He even helped himself to a glass of red wine with his pre-match meal facing rivals.
However, the manager, then in charge, opted to throw on the new arrival seeing the team go 1-0 down away from home.
He provided Watson’s strike and the maverick's rubber legs helped turn the game on its head as the league leaders emerged victorious.
“Once he entered, he transformed the game,” Albert noted. “Only the great players can do something like this.”
{It gave Keegan food for thought|It made Keegan reconsider|
