Alex Hurst, 27, one of the founders of Gallowgate Flags said: “The four club badges are a nod to our history as are the ten blue stars. On the crest section, a demi lion sits atop the city’s historic Castle Keep and flies the swallow-tailed pennon of the Arms of Saint George – the country’s patron saint.

It heralded the return of the overall shape and several elements from the city’s Coat of Arms, namely the supporting seahorses, castle, demi lion and an amended pennon. Our shirts first had the city's Coat of Arms emblazoned on them as early as 1911, but it was in 1969 that the club finally adopted it as an official emblem. The Coat of Arms also features the city’s Latin motto, Fortiter Defendit Triumphans – ‘Triumphing by Brave Defence’ – adopted following a brave and stubborn resistance against the Scots in 1644.

We take a look at our crests over the years, what they consist of and what their individual components signify. Gallowgate Flags is a crowd-funded group which unveiled its first flag display before the opening home match of this season against Huddersfield. Newcastle United was formed in the summer of 1892 when Newcastle East End absorbed the assets of city rivals Newcastle West End, including the lease of St. James’ Park.

Originating in the fourteenth century and formally recognised in 1954, Newcastle upon Tyne’s Coat of Arms is a depiction of the city’s history – with its Norman-era castle and two seahorses (added in 1575) to signify seafaring heritage. The club’s current and perhaps most famous crest – synonymous with the Entertainers Era of the mid-nineties – was created in 1988. If last season’s relegation struggle fed a mood of frustration and disappointment, the presence of dozens of striking Newcastle United-themed flags in the Gallowgate End has had an uplifting effect.Thank in large part to the estimable Gallowgate Flags fans group, the atmosphere in the stadium has been transformed. The words ‘We are United’ are apt for the new direction the club is hopefully pulling in. With record second division crowd numbers in the modern era being set by Newcastle fans, we thought it was a suitable message.” Time has moved on and we want to create something unique, but we wanted to give a nod to the old flags that were so popular.