Source: Telegraph
Newcastle United timeline: key moments as club is promoted back to the Premier League
May 24, 2009: Grown men are reduced to tears at Villa Park as Newcastle's 16-year residency in the Premier League is brought to a sudden halt in an insipid 1-0 defeat by Aston Villa. [LNB]May 31: Ashley puts the club up for sale for the second time, placing a £100-million price-tag on St James' Park and deciding he can not offer Alan Shearer the manager's job following three rounds of talks, leaving coach Chris Hughton in charge on interim basis. [LNB] Related ArticlesNewcastle highs and lowsNewcastle return to top flightSpeed hopes to delay Newcastle partyNewcastle edge towards promotionNolan hails Newcastle 'revolution'Sport on televisionJuly 25: Just days after a 20-man brawl involving coaches and players at Huddersfield, the nadir is reached by Newcastle as Chris Hughton's millionaires suffer a humiliating 6-1 defeat in a pre-season friendly at League One side Leyton Orient's Brisbane Road ground. [LNB]August 8: Newcastle confound the sceptic by kicking off the new season in promising fashion, coming from a goal behind at West Bromwich Albion to secure a 1-1 draw through Damien Duff's goal before beating Reading 3-0 a week later thanks to Shola Ameobi's hat-trick in the first game outside top tier on Tyneside since 1993. [LNB]August 18: Damien Duff follows Michael Owen, Mark Viduka, Sebastien Bassong, Obafemi Martins and Habib Beye out through the St James' Park exit door in a £4-million deal with Fulham as Newcastle try to slash their wage bill. [LNB]September 1: Hughton makes a transfer market coup by signing freeagent Peter Lovenkrands on a three-year deal. [LNB]October 20: Newcastle are given a reality check as they suffer a humbling 2-1 defeat at lowly Scunthorpe's Glanford Park ground. [LNB]October 27: Mike Ashley takes the club off the market after failing to strike a deal with Tyneside businessman Barry Moat and confirms Chris Hughton as Newcastle's new permanent manager. [LNB]January 26, 2010: Ashley sanctions the signing of reinforcements in the shape of Wayne Routledge, Mike Williamson, Danny Simpson and then striker Leon Best after his £1.8-million bid for Leeds forward Jermaine Beckford is rejected by Elland Road chairman Ken Bates. [LNB]February 5 The promotion bandwagon gathers momentum as Newcastle record a crushing 5-1 victory over play-off hopefuls Cardiff with Lovenkrands scoring twice at St James' Park where the hosts remain unbeaten all season. [LNB]March 22: Newcastle's seemingly serene progress suddenly suffers a set-back when it emerges centre-half Steven Taylor will miss the rest of the season after suffering a broken jaw in an alleged training ground bust-up with striker Andy Carroll who goes on to score the winner in a 1-0 victory at Doncaster the following evening. [LNB]March 29: Newcastle plant one foot firmly in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over third-placed Nottingham Forest in their televised promotion showdown thanks to goals from Shola Ameobi and Jose Enrique that have club owner Mike Ashley jumping for joy in the directors' box. [LNB]April 5: Newcastle secure promotion back to Premier League after Nottingham Forest fail to beat Cardiff City at the City Ground.[LNB]
