It is a heart-warming tale which epitomises Geordies, their passion, and their dreams. Alan Shoulder went from working down the pits and playing football in his spare time to being a starring striker with Newcastle United in the blink of an unbelieving eye. From miner to major.

His was the rise of the working class man. Proof positive that anything is possible in this bonkers world in you dare to dream. Alan, who has died a couple of days shy of his 72nd birthday after a long battle with ill health, trod a similar path to United No 9 legend Jackie Milburn who was also a pitman though he never resided in the depths of non-league football before being catapulted to St James' Park and fame.

Shoulder took tiny steps before one gigantic one onto the biggest of stages. Born in Bishop Auckland he took up full time work as a miner aged 18. Soccer was just a hobby but a year later his exploits in junior football saw him join his home town club where he played for several seasons before finding his way to Blyth Spartans in December of 1977. Alan's stay at Croft Park was short but spectacular encompassing their epic journey to the fifth round of the FA Cup beating the likes of Stoke City along the way, the essence of romance.

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Those Cup exploits shot him into the big time. A day shy of a year after his Spartans debut he was making his Newcastle United bow against Stoke City. Rockets don't take off any quicker!

The transfer was equally fast. A deal was agreed with Bill McGarry on the Monday, it was signed the next day with £20,000 going to Blyth plus another £5,000 added on after a certain number of games, Shoulder met and trained with his new team-mates on the Wednesday, and made his debut on the Saturday. No reserve matches to ease him in from part-time to full-time football.

Shoulder's wages jumped from 14 quid a week at Spartans to £180 a week with another £300 in bonuses on offer. Alan's first United goal came a week after his debut secured in only the seventh minute of a 3-1 victory at Fulham. That initial season brought immediate impact - 11 goals in 28 appearances as United finished seventh in the old Second Division.

His stay in Magpie colours will always be remembered for his Little and Large partnership with England centre-forward Peter Withe. At a time of a barren landscape they brought a dash of splendid colour.

The record books show that Shoulder scored 38 goals in 117 appearances for Newcastle before he left in the summer of 1982, signed by Bob Stokoe at Carlisle where in his debut season he notched 21 goals in 46 matches. A terrific ratio.

His all-action, relentless and enthusiastic style made him a crowd favourite not only at St James but everywhere he went. After Carlisle his next move was to Hartlepool with him continuing to score goals for fun. By the time Alan was forced to quit aged 34 in September of 1987 because of an eye injury he had totted up 286 Football League appearances and 91 goals, Not bad for a little lad from the mines.

Shoulder never strayed far from his roots which inevitably brought a return to North East non-league where he coached, managed and continued to play. At the ripe old age of 47 he was sent off for arguing with a referee in a Durham Challenge Cup tie and he continued on and off until at 53 years old he played his final game for Brandon United against Dunston.

When I owned Gateshead Alan Shoulder was my reserve team manager. I vividly recall turning up at a match when the first team weren't playing and there was Alan on a ladder hooking the net onto the crossbar. A smashing lad with an unshakeable passion for the game, he never played the big-time card as a one-time United goalscorer but was a modest man down to earth who loved life's basics. I will remember him with warmth and gratitude. Truly a local hero.