Newcastle United supporters were able to breathe a welcome sigh of relief when the final whistle blew at the Emirates Stadium following their 2-0 win over Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final last month.
As supporters drifted out of the turnstiles and conversations turned to the second leg back at St James' Park, 3,300 miles away the party was just getting started. Under the shadow of the Empire State building in New York, around 100 Toon Army supporters were celebrating an impressive result in Peter Dillons Bar, an Irish pub on 36th street, the home of Newcastle United's supporters club in the 'Big Apple'.
Sean Henshaw, who is a partner at the bar having taken over the venue back in 2020, has been a die-hard Magpies fan since the age of 11-years-old. A love that started out in Dublin as one of very few Toon fans - a city which he claims tends to support the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United - Newcastle gripped him from an early age, before moving to the United States in 2011.
Amid all the hustle and bustle of 5th Avenue in the heart of Manhattan lies the Irish pub and it acts as the base of the Magpies' New York supporters club. With temperatures outside sitting at minus 13 degrees Celsius in mid-January, I took refuge from the cold - and grabbed a pint or two, while taking in some of the surroundings. What started out as a place for Sean to watch his beloved Toon in action with mates while he worked, has grown into a little piece of Newcastle, thousands of miles away from the beating heart at St James' Park.
Speaking exclusively to ChronicleLive, the 38-year-old told his brilliant story, growing up supporting the Magpies and what it's like being a fan from afar. He said: "I grew up in Dublin and everyone followed Manchester United or Liverpool, Arsenal. One of my best friends growing up, his uncle is Frank Stapleton, they're all fanatics and I just fell out of love with it.
"My dad played semi-professional for Pats [St Patrick's Athletic] and my head just wasn't in it, I didn't enjoy it. He said; 'Why don't we pick a team and that'll be me and you, your kids and their kids' team'."
Sean's father would replace Paul McGrath in the St. Patricks Athletic side after he'd, incidentally, complete a mega move to Manchester United, becoming a legend in English football after that switch - but I digress.
"I went bonkers," Henshaw said. "I went mad. My room was black and white. He'd bring me over and my first game - Sir Bobby Robson was in charge and we were playing Blackburn Rovers in 2003. We got beat 1-0 - I'm actually bad luck we haven't won in a long time when I go over - but I'd usually do two or three trips a year.
"Then when I turned 18, I was working for a bank and I used to fly over whenever I could. I flew over when Kevin Keegan re-signed - and there wasn't even a match on. My pals would say; 'Are you going'? I'd say; 'Yeah the place would be hopping'.
"I'd usually fly over at Christmas with my dad. We were delighted when Stephen Carr signed and we'd keep an eye on his career, because my dad actually did his kitchen! I was fanatic about Newcastle but we'd keep an eye on him and he'd give me the best days of my life.
"I'm married with two kids - and have another one on the way - but I still say this was the best day ever. He got us tickets for a game against Arsenal, we got beat 1-0 and Vieira scored. He got us players lounge tickets and I got to see James Milner, Charles N'Zogbia, [Patrick] Kluivert was playing, [Alan] Shearer didn't play that day.
"I remember Stephen writing a letter saying; 'Sorry I can't make it today, here's my shirt from the Chelsea game, signed by all the players'. And that I put up here when we had Shay Given and Steve Harper here for the Premier League summer series.
"I said to Shay he'd signed that 21-years-ago and that I'd got it from Stephen. I was just delighted, he gave me his shirt.
"My dad said to me I'd never have a day like that again. Barack Obama could come in here [Peter Dillons] and I wouldn't give a s***. People are people but because you idolise these players, I went red. My dad asked me if I wanted pictures beside them and I was like 'shut up'.
"We ended up leaving at the same time as Lee Bowyer and he was the nicest man - he got player-of-the-match that day and I had to nearly be dragged out. I said to him he was brilliant that day, he was like a terrier."
Where and when you first decided to support Newcastle isn't an issue for Henshaw, and something he believes isn't an argument worth having in the tiresome age of social media where some go as far as taking offence for supporting the club from afar. He also believes that Newcastle fans should come together with their one thing in common - a love for the Magpies.
And that's something at the heart of Peter Dillons. On one wall, there's signed images of Newcastle legends - past and present - kindly gifted from a friend who frequents the Strawberry Pub in the shadows of St James' Park. Sean had created a home away from home for expats.
Gnomes wearing black and white kits can be seen behind the bar, while scarves and flags adorn the walls on a matchday. Outside the bar is an unmistakable Newcastle badge and St James' Park sign.
But Newcastle's fans didn't always have a place to call their own in New York. That was until Henshaw and his business partner Fergal Titley had an idea.
"We used to go down to Legends and you'd be sharing a room with Villa, Chelsea, West Ham as well and it was brilliant," he said. "There'd be sections with flags and everyone knows you, it's a brilliant vibe.
"We got involved here in 2020 and said look, if I'm going to go and watch the match, I'd rather have the volume on every TV, a few flags up. We're great friends with Legends - and didn't want to step on anyone's toes - we can only maybe fit 100 people in here so any big parties we get, we send their way.
"I said; 'I don't want to step on your toes, but I'm going to try something'. I think my Mrs was happy to see me not watch it at home!
"We set up the supporters club out of here, there was a supporters club which was down at Legends and we wanted to amalgamate the two - we didn't want to step on anyone's toes. If they still wanted to go, feel free because it had been there for years.
"I said; 'I'm going to try and give us something that's a little different'. We've got it on every TV, with the flags up, have a bit sing and some craic. It started out with four or five lads and a couple other people there from Legends started coming up.
"It went from five to ten to twenty and thirty just before the takeover. We had a nice crowd and I remember that game - Wolves before the takeover - there was a real deflated feeling in here but it was still a good crew."
The PIF takeover at St James' Park thrust Newcastle into the spotlight around the world, and thousands of fans gathered outside St James' Park to celebrate. Across the pond, meanwhile, some of the New York branch celebrated outside of the Saudi Arabian embassy in New York before heading to Peter Dillons to celebrate.
"I had lads who went to the Saudi Arabian embassy here when the takeover went through," Henshaw revealed. "They came in here just lapping it up. Then I'd say since then it's just kind of grown. I think we would have had more people in, had people known about us. It just took off. We've had great support from the Strawberry pub - Rob Ridge - we gave a sign to him because he brought Keith Gillespie and John Beresford over."
Newcastle United took the opportunity to touch base with the New York branch during last pre-season as part of the Premier League Summer Series with Shay Given, Steve Harper and Shola Ameobi meeting fans during the tour. Former Magpies' midfielder, Matty Longstaff, has even dropped in during some down-time to take in a game - now playing for Toronto FC in the MLS.
"The three lads that we had in for the summer camp were brilliant," Henshaw said. "We have a girl called Natalie who represents New York with the club and she goes over all the time. My thing is, I don't have the time to deal with the club running the bar, so we have a mini committee and there's only four of us on it.
"On a matchday we have a huge big flag. Matty Longstaff has signed it, Shay, Shola and Keith. We're trying to get as many people as possible.
"What was nice, Matty came in without reaching out to anyone. It was a sign that things are growing without us having to do much. Every game we're open for. For 7.30am games, we open at 7 in the morning, at 10 o'clock kick-offs, we open at 9am. For the midday kick-offs it's like a zoo in here, we can have 100 plus people in here it's mad.
"It's great and everyone is welcome. My big thing, is if we're not here it's open arms to everyone. It's a community and if you see tourists from Newcastle, chat to them and make them feel welcome. It's Geordie spirit and they say they've had a great day.
"We're trying to make as good an atmosphere here. We had one woman here two weeks ago and she said it was as good an atmosphere as she's seen outside of St James' Park.
"I'm delighted to hear that and I want to feel that. I don't get to go to matches, it's a five hour flight to London, then up to Newcastle. With two kids, I wouldn't be able to do it.
"It's accessible for anyone in the boroughs - Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx. We're right in the middle! Come down and we're very much rocking on a matchday. It's a zoo in here with the music blasting and we usually have 'Mad Mick's' playlist on.
"The craic is brilliant. We set up Dillon's Magpies that plays 7-a-side out of the bar and we won our first cup this year. Hopefully it's a sign that we'll win a trophy or something soon!
"We're doing our best to engage with the club. I found pre-takeover - my wife does the social media - she wrote to them in the Mike Ashley era and there was radio silence. Since then, they've been brilliant at getting back. If there's anything they can do or bring, they said that they were delighted to see what we were doing."
