POSH v MAGPIES - THE HISTORY
2001/2002 Sun 27 Jan Peterborough 2 - 4 Newcastle Utd. F.A. Cup
1992/1993 Sat 16 Jan Newcastle Utd. 3 - 0 Peterborough League Division One
Sat 26 Sep Peterborough 0 - 1 Newcastle Utd. League Division One
1991/1992 Tue 29 Oct Peterborough 1 - 0 Newcastle Utd. League Cup
1977/1978 Wed 11 Jan Newcastle Utd. 2 - 0 Peterborough F.A. Cup
Sat 07 Jan Peterborough 1 - 1 Newcastle Utd. F.A. Cup
1965/1966 Wed 22 Sep Newcastle Utd. 3 - 4 Peterborough League Cup
1961/1962 Sat 06 Jan Newcastle Utd. 0 - 1 Peterborough F.A. Cup
January 27th 2002 - PETERBOROUGH 2 NEWCASTLE UTD 4
POSH: Tyler, Joseph, Rea (Hooper 86), Edwards, Williams, Forsyth (Oldfield 86), Bullard, Farrell, Andy Clarke, Fenn (Forinton 86), McKenzie.
Subs Not Used: Connor, Cullen.
TOON: Given, Hughes, Distin, O'Brien, Elliott, Bernard (Quinn 78), Solano, Acuna, McClen (Kerr 90), Shearer, Bellamy.
Subs Not Used: Griffin, Harper, Ameobi.
This was FA Cup football as it used to be: a small ground packed to the gunnels, dodgy floodlights and a pitch that would not have looked out on place on a First World War battlefield.
This was also FA Cup football as it should be, with Second Division Peterborough fighting back from two goals down to draw level, and then scaring the life out of their Premiership visitors from Newcastle before falling at the final hurdle.
Alan Shearer's penalty secured Newcastle a place in the fifth round from the spot, but only after an Andy O'Brien own goal and David Farrell's brilliant solo goal had hauled the Posh level.
O'Brien had opened the scoring - at the right end - before Jamie McClen, playing instead of the injured Kieron Dyer, put Newcastle 2-0 up.
Then came Peterborough's fightback, and it was only when Hughes made it 4-2 late on that the Magpies' jitters calmed down.
It was touch-and-go in the first place whether the rain would allow this match to go ahead and the pitch - which Peterborough boss Barry Fry boasts is "the worst in the league" - looked terrible.
The London Road stadium was packed out and tickets had been such a rare commodity that Peterborough's reserve players were not given a ticket for the game, while youth team players could only get in if they agreed to be ball-boys.
It looked tailor-made for an upset but Newcastle made light of the conditions in the first half and took advantage of the firm turf on the wings to launch their attacks, avoiding the no-man's land of the middle of the pitch.
Posh served notice early on that they presented their greatest danger from set-plays, and in the fourth minute Leon McKenzie and Andy Clarke both had swipes at goal after a corner before Andy Edwards did make good contact, only for Nolberto Solano to block on the line.
After 13 minutes, Newcastle took the lead. Bernard had seen an excellent low strike tipped past the post by Mark Tyler, but from the corner Sylvain Distin won the header and Andy O'Brien stuck out a leg to poke the ball under the keeper from close range.
McKenzie passed up a glorious chance to equalise when he shouldered Distin off the ball, raced in on goal but clipped a shot wide as Shay Given came sliding out.
Peterborough continued to press and left-back Tom Williams embarked on a surging run through the thick mud of the centre circle before unleashing - Ronnie Radford style - a lovely left-footed drive but on this occasion it whistled just the wrong side of the post.
A good free-kick routine by Posh saw Jimmy Bullard curl a powerful low shot just the wrong side of the post with Given looking frozen to the spot, but three minutes before the break, Newcastle grabbed a second goal.
Solano fed Bellamy and when Simon Rea tackled him, unfortunately for Posh the ball fell for McClen who kept his head to finish expertly past Tyler.
It could have been three after the best move of the match, which saw Bellamy cross from the left, Solano chest back to Shearer who hooked an excellent volley that Tyler saved.
Posh must have felt unlucky to be 2-0 down at half-time, but that all changed four minutes into the second half when O'Brien bulleted a header into his own net.
Marc Joseph had bent in a good cross from the right to the far-post but there was no one near O'Brien when he connected too perfectly to make the net billow.
Given then completely missed a Bullard corner and McKenzie was so surprised he was unable to get the vital touch from six yards out.
Bellamy wasted a glorious chance created by Bernard, missing his kick, and the same player fired wide after skipping past Williams. Shearer attempted to chip Tyler, before Aaron Hughes dribbled into the box but failed to find a penetrating pass.
Straight from that attack, Farrell raced up the right touchline, dodged infield and curled a shot with his left foot that took a slight deflection off Distin on its way into the net.
The roar from the 13,841 crowd was deafening, and almost matched in volume when Shearer blasted a free-kick into the wall soon afterwards.
Posh were all over Newcastle now and Neale Fenn forced a great save out of Given when one-on-one, then Clarke tried an audacious chip from wide on the left that had the Magpies worried but dropped over the crossbar.
Tyler somehow saved Joseph from heading an own goal of his own, but could do nothing when McKenzie was penalised for handball in the area.
Shearer buried the spot-kick and there was huge relief among the travelling fans when Hughes made it 4-2, heading in substitute Wayne Quinn's cross.