magpies

Yet it could have been so different after Newcastle initially handled a white-hot atmosphere so well by gaining the upper hand.

The noise levels were certainly deafening before kick-off – even referee Maurizio Mariani and the officials were loudly whistled when they emerged for the warm-up.

Flares were let off, ticker tape flickered in the air and a stunning tifo rose from the terraces with an accompanying banner reading “For my town, for my club”.

But Newcastle were ready for it.

They had travelled early, trained at the Velodrome on Monday evening and looked to prepare slightly differently on game day, “to keep the players mentally engaged and ready for this game” in Howe’s own words.

That preparation looked to have paid off against a side second in Ligue 1.

Rather than being cowed by the crowd, Newcastle made an aggressive start.

They got their reward when Harvey Barnes – fresh from his match-winning double against Manchester City on Sunday – fired his side in front in the sixth minute.

But, crucially, Newcastle failed to press home their advantage and Marseille rallied.

The visitors had enough warnings after Aubameyang spurned a series of opportunities in the first half.

However, the much-travelled Marseille forward was not so forgiving after the break, as Newcastle paid a heavy price for a sloppy kick-off.

Defender Fabian Schar punted the ball forward and his side failed to get it back under control after losing a series of duels deep in the opposition half.

It was far too easy for Timothy Weah to take a number of players out of the game with a pass to Darryl Bakola and the 17-year-old played a through-ball into the right-hand channel behind Newcastle’s defence.

A Marseille equaliser was not exactly a foregone conclusion given how far away Aubameyang was from goal.

But keeper Nick Pope rushed off his line in an attempt to get there ahead of Aubameyang, only to be caught in no man’s land as the forward nipped in and finished superbly from a tight angle out on the right wing.

Howe was keen to stress he “backed” Pope after the game, despite the poor decision, pointing to how the goalkeeper made “some really good saves against Manchester City just three days ago”.

But this was a night where his side’s vulnerabilities at the back, and on the road, reared their head again.

This was Newcastle’s first European campaign since 1977.

It was also their first since the ban on English clubs playing on the continent after the Heysel Stadium disaster had been lifted in 1990.

There was still a reasonable police presence in Bilbao on what was a national holiday.

Supporter Karl Pedley recalled how Newcastle fans were accompanied into San Mames by “full riot police, some of whom were armed”.

However, just a few minutes into the game, he noticed how “a number of them had sat down with their helmets and pads off, and were enjoying what we were doing”.

There was no edge, even after Newcastle were defeated 1-0, and Athletic fans invaded the pitch and sprinted towards the away end to applaud the travelling support.

Newcastle supporters responded by chanting “Athletic! Athletic! Athletic!” – but that was not the end of the matter.

“The police held us back for a short while and took us down a long concrete staircase into the main road,” Pedley said. “All we could see at the bottom was this mass of red and white.

“They brought us down in single file and let us go. We thought ‘oh, here we go.’ But all the Athletic fans wanted to do was shake your hand, pat you on the back and take you to a bar. It was as if they were like ‘adopt a Geordie’.

“I don’t think there was anyone in a Newcastle United shirt who didn’t get fed and watered that night. They were just really appreciative that we were enjoying their city.”

Chants were exchanged as Newcastle fans taught Athletic supporters – among others – “walking in a Keegan wonderland” and “he gets the ball and scores a goal, Andy, Andy Cole”.

Shirts and scarves were even swapped and this remains, possibly, the only occasion where a number of Newcastle supporters wore red and white, which are also the colours of bitter rivals Sunderland.

One such Athletic shirt remains a cherished memento from an away day that Newcastle fan Philip Long will never forget.

“It’s still in the wardrobe with a couple hundred of my Newcastle tops,” he said. “I’ll never let go of it.”