 However, Pickering was outvoted 4–1 by the club's directors and reluctantly agreed to the transfer, which went ahead on 24 September.The deal almost collapsed when Newcastle refused to adjust their pay structure and accommodate Kitson's personal demands and a bid was made by Everton, but the deal went through less than 24 hours after Pickering said that ""God must be a Derby fan"" and Freddie Fletcher, chief executive of Newcastle, had said the deal was ""dead and buried"", with Kitson signing a three-year contract at £3,500 a week.He scored his first goal for Newcastle in the 2–0 win over Manchester United in the third round of the Coca-Cola Cup in October 1994, though he was still very much the club's "backup" striker behind Andy Cole and Peter Beardsley.