There is a new powerhouse in English football. Newcastle United look set for a Champions League return for the first time in two decades. Less than a year since they slumped inside the Premier League relegation zone, Eddie Howe's revolution is way ahead of schedule.
The Toon Army can scarcely believe it, back where they feel they belong after such a long spell of mediocrity. But their delight with Newcastle's league position will be put to one side for this weekend in pursuit of an even longer sought-after desire. Silverware.
It is now almost 50 years since Newcastle last lifted a major domestic trophy. Regime after regime have refused to give the same weight to cup competitions as their fans, and they have not reached a single semi-final in either the FA Cup or League Cup since 2005.
With the best and deepest squad they have had in years and in superb form, there has not been a better opportunity for Newcastle to right those perceived wrongs. The third-round draw has been kind to deliver a trip to third-tier Sheffield Wednesday, even if later rounds may not prove so hospitable.
To judge Eddie Howe's feelings towards cup competitions suggests he has not previously considered them a priority. After Bournemouth's promotion to the Premier League, his side beat only one top flight team in a domestic cup in five years, and were knocked out three times by lower-league opposition.
But this is a very different team, and a very different Howe. He has reinvented himself at St James' Park and earned the adoration of the fans with the speed of the club's transformation.
Howe is among the most self-aware managers in the division. He knows what a trophy would mean to the club and his own standing and has shown that with the strong teams he has named in the Carabao Cup en route to the quarter-finals.
Winning that would be a huge achievement, but there's nothing quite like the history of the FA Cup. If he finds himself holding it aloft on June 3, he will have written himself into club folklore.
Ron Walker
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