AT the match last Saturday, Newcastle United celebrated the club's 125th anniversary, so Memories couldn't resist having a rummage in The Northern Echo's photo-library for some old pictures that might show how the club has grown and changed. This is not meant to be a complete pictorial history, just a few random snapshots through time.

From a historical point of view, in 1882 two clubs emerged as the strongest footballers in Newcastle: East End and West End. Both were originally associated with cricket clubs.

In 1886, West End began playing on St James's Park. It was then a sloping paddock behind the fashionable, Georgian Leazes Terrace.

In 1889, East End turned pro and became the dominant force, beating East End five times in the 1891-92 season. West End was on the brink of disappearing and so in May 1892 was merged into East End with East End taking on West's players, backroom staff and ground.

East decided it needed a name to reflect the merger and to attract fans from across the city. It thought about calling itself Newcastle FC, Newcastle Rangers or Newcastle City, but on December 9, 1892, formally adopted the name "Newcastle United" – a name that was accepted by the Football Association on December 22, 1892.

And so a North-East institution was born 125 years ago...