BBC News, North East and Cumbria
John BoothA can of beer saved for 29 years by a football fan waiting for his team to secure a major trophy has finally been drunk after Newcastle United won the Carabao Cup on Sunday.
John Booth, from Kendal, Cumbria, kept the can of Newcastle Brown Ale in the fridge since 1996 when it was given to him at a barbeque by a Liverpool supporter.
At the time, Newcastle were 12-points ahead in the Premier League and Mr Booth told his friend he would drink it when the club won the title later that year.
Instead the side “lost steam”, he said, and were overtaken by Manchester United and the 55-year-old has held on to the can ever since.
“We’ve changed fridges three times in the last thirty years and every time Newcastle came close to winning something I was going to open it,” he said.
The lifelong Toon fan said he thought about drinking the beer when the club won promotion back to the Premier League in 2010 and 2017.
“[But] it’s not really a cup as such,” he said.
John BoothMr Booth said Sunday had been “emotional”.
“It was moment I’d been waiting for all my life.”
He said he had no idea in 1996 that he would wait decades to drink the beer.
“When Chiesa scored for Liverpool, I thought typical Newcastle,” he said.
“My wife went for a walk out the house… it was tense.”
But, after the club were able to hold on for victory, Mr Booth finally treated himself.
“It was very cold [and] it tasted very metally. I didn’t drink all of it of course.”
He said he planned to keep the can and was now thinking about getting another beer for the fridge in anticipation of the next trophy.
