Newcastle United must have been buoyant heading into the 2012-13 campaign, having finished fifth in the Premier League the previous season.
However, the Magpies were in for a torrid time as they failed to get through their opening matches in the League Cup or the FA Cup and were in danger of suffering relegation from the league until the penultimate weekend of the season.
There was some success for Alan Pardew and his team in the Europa League, though, as they reached the quarter-finals of the competition.
Sports Mole now runs its eye over Newcastle's performance in all competitions this season.
August
Newcastle began the Premier League campaign on a positive note as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at home in their opening game.
However, Pardew's side lost 2-0 at Chelsea the following weekend, but August ended on a high for the Magpies as they progressed to the Europa League by getting the better of Atromitos in the two-legged playoff round.
September
Successive draws with Aston Villa and Everton were followed by a goalless scoreline away from home with Maritimo in the Europa League.
The month would bring more misery to Pardew and his troops as they were knocked out of the League Cup at the third-round stage by Manchester United, who won 2-1 at Old Trafford.
Reading would then hold Newcastle to a 2-2 draw at home in the Premier League, as signs of a frustrating season were cropping up for the Geordies.
October
However, Newcastle bounced back nicely at the start of October with a comprehensive 3-0 home victory over Bordeaux in the Europa League, but went down to United in the league by the same margin just three days later.
Their winless run in Premier League continued at the Stadium of Light on October 21 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sunderland in the derby.
Manager Pardew finally had something to smile about towards the end of the month, thanks to successive wins over Club Brugge and West Bromwich Albion that promised to turnaround their fortunes.
© PA Photos
November
Credible draws against Liverpool and Club Brugge away from home at the start of November were followed by successive home defeats to West Ham United and Swansea City.
After a disappointing home draw against Maritimo in the Europa League, Newcastle fans had to endure a 2-0 away loss to Southampton, before Stoke City also got the better of the Geordies, leaving them facing a relegation battle just over three months into the season.
© PA Photos
December
Newcastle must have thought that things were on the up when they earned all three points against Wigan Athletic at St James' Park on December 3, but their celebrations were short-lived.
First Bordeaux beat them 2-0 in France and then Fulham and Manchester City edged past them 2-1 and 3-1 respectively.
However, there was joy for the Magpies heading into Christmas as Shola Ameobi's 81st-minute goal saw Newcastle register a narrow 1-0 home win against Queens Park Rangers.
Yet Boxing Day brought back misery as they lost 4-3 at Man United before the year ended with a 7-3 hammering by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, Theo Walcott scoring a hat-trick for the Gunners.
January
Things did not improve in the New Year, as Everton won 2-1 at St James' Park on January 2 and three days later Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion knocked them out of the FA Cup, winning their third-round tie 2-0.
Then came a goalless draw at Norwich City in the Premier League followed by a 2-1 home loss against Reading and a victory with the same scoreline at Aston Villa.
© PA Photos
February
Moussa Sissoko struck late for the beleaguered Newcastle as they overcame Chelsea 3-2 at home, with January reinforcements expected to propel Pardew's team up the table in the second half of the season.
A 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in London did not dampen the optimism much, as Newcastle bounced back with a 1-0 aggregate victory over Metalist Kharkiv to reach the third round of the Europa League.
Pardew's side had much to rejoice as they ended the month with a 4-2 victory over Southampton at St James' Park, Sissoko and Papiss Cisse among the goalscorers for the hosts.
© PA Photos
March
Yet the bubble burst on March 2 when Swansea beat them 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium. Newcastle would go on to get the better of Anzhi Makhachkala in the Europa League and progress to the quarter-finals, but they would suffer in the Premier League – winning against Stoke at home but losing to Wigan and Man City away.
April
Newcastle's run in the Europa League came to an end in April as they found their match in Benfica, who won their last-eight tie 4-2 on aggregate.
© PA Photos
They also continued to struggle in the league, registering just one win out of a possible four and sliding further down into the relegation mire. Cisse's injury-time goal saved them against Fulham, but the Magpies were hammered 3-0 by Sunderland and then 6-0 by Liverpool both at home.
The 1-1 draw with West Brom at The Hawthorns sandwiched between those two heavy defeats provided little consolation for the Newcastle fans.
May
Newcastle remained in danger of suffering relegation from the English top flight for the second time in four years when they could muster a point against West Ham United at Upton Park.
However, they finally heaved a sigh of relief in the penultimate round of matches in the Premier League with a 2-1 away win against QPR.
© Daniel Hambury / PA Photos
A Hatem Ben Arfa penalty and a Yoan Gouffran strike helped Newcastle come from behind at Loftus Road to earn all three points and secure their Premier League status.
The final weekend of the season saw the Magpies play host to Arsenal, who needed a victory to guarantee their spot in next season's Champions League.
It proved to be a largely uneventful encounter, which the Gunners won 1-0. Some jeers rung out at the final whistle, which prompted Pardew to confirm that he will hold talks about his future with owner Mike Ashley over the summer.
Subhankar Mondal
