THE world's unluckiest football fans finally met their idols yesterday.

Dedicated Jimmy Whithead and his mates have travelled 21,000 miles from the United States to follow Newcastle United - but have so far never seen a game.

Each time they arrived on Tyneside they discovered the match had been postponed.

But the group of six, from the Central Park Rangers football team in New York, met Bobby Robson yesterday and shook the hand of their hero, Alan Shearer.

Despite travelling across the Atlantic on three failed attempts to see the Toon Army, the group were invited to the training ground.

The club made special arrangements to have the Premiership trophy driven to the North-East for the day. The magnificent trophy was held by all the lads - but superstitious Bobby Robson wouldn't put his hand to it.

Jimmy Whitehead, 30, who lives in New York, said: "It's great to meet Alan and Bobby, I think we deserve a break after what we've been through. We must be the unluckiest fans in the world."

The Newcastle United-mad Americans had tickets for the Southampton game, which was postponed in February.

They then missed the Liverpool clash after it was put back a day for Sky Television last November.

Now, they have been thwarted by Arsenal, who will be in Manchester for the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotpur rather than playing at St James's.