Usually, this is a simple journey with Barnsley's average crowd being such that this former terrace is rarely in use due to the other three redeveloped stands being more than big enough to satisfy demand.

Last Saturday, however, was different with the presence of a travelling army of 6,662 noisy fans from Sheffield Wednesday meaning these seats were occupied. A consequence of this, when the final whistle blew, was the walk from press box to press room having to be made among hundreds of Owls fans.

Now, I always enjoy leaving a ground in the company of supporters as emotions are still raw so any debate into the good – or bad – they have just seen is usually a lively one.

And with Brian Laws's side having battled hard to earn a point, the mood among those who had made the trip from S6 was good. So, when news came through over the PA system of Charlton Athletic's 2-0 win at Bramall Lane, the cheer was predictably loud.

What did come as something of a surprise, though, was the response when the Barnsley PA announcer got to the Premier League scores and, specifically, Newcastle v Blackburn with the news of a last-minute winner for Rovers being met by laughter.

It was the kind of belly laugh you might hear emanating from a group of mates in the pub, one full of glee and gloating.

Now, as far as I am aware, there is no long-standing enmity between the two clubs, so I conducted a straw poll among supporters of other clubs to see if this joy at the Toon Army's current troubles was restricted to just Wednesday fans.

And the upshot of this less than scientific study is that there seems to be a lot of football fans out there who would just love it if Newcastle were to be relegated come May. The reasons given ranged from a desire to see a big club brought down to size, Leeds United's demise in the new Millennium still being a great source of amusement to many outside Elland Road, to the increasingly bizarre goings-on at St James's Park.

There was, however, a general consensus from those who responded to the Yorkshire Post's promptings that the arrogant – and, at times, deluded – attitude of many in the Toon Army was sufficient reason to wish relegation on the city.

It seems that the North East's firm claim that football is a religion up there – something that was not backed up by the congregation numbers that 'flocked' to St James's in the early Nineties – has upset many.

There does seem to be a strong belief among what Sir John Hall once called 'the Geordie Nation' that they, and only they, truly love football and that their club is, in some way, special.

Well, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it seems they don't and they aren't.

What Newcastle are is a club in deep, deep trouble and unless the rather misguided notion that not only does the city deserve a Premier League place by birthright is quickly swept away, the reality could well see the Toon Army travelling to Leyton Orient or Walsall next season.

And that would certainly raise a few smiles around the rest of the country.