Howe sets sights on ‘magical’ FA Cup success with Newcastle

Eddie Howe has said he is determined to win the ‘magical’ FA Cup with Newcastle this season.

Newcastle host Bournemouth in the third round of the FA Cup tomorrow. The Magpies ended their 70-year wait for a domestic trophy last season, after lifting the League Cup at Wembley. Howe’s side have reached the semi-finals of the League Cup again this season but have struggled to make their mark on the FA Cup in recent years.

Newcastle have been eliminated in the third round three times in the last five seasons, while last season’s campaign concluded in round five. Howe is determined to go deep into the FA Cup this season.

“For whatever reason we haven’t quite matched our success in the Carabao Cup. That’s a frustration for us and I though last year we had an opportunity and the game we lost against Brighton was frustrating because we’d done the hard work.

“The FA Cup is a great competition. I think the early rounds are the most difficult because we’re surrounded by other games. we really need to make sure we focus on this one because we want to do well, we want to progress, in every competition we’re playing in.

“If you go back to when I was playing the third round of the FA Cup was a standout moment. It was in the schedule very early in January. I suppose playing in League One, that was your opportunity to get a big moment and play against a Premier League team. It was a huge moment really in my career.

“Now as you say, when you’re managing at this level, there are so many games and competitions it’s lost its standalone feel. But I still feel the FA Cup is a magical competition. That’s never been lost on me.

“I still remember the FA Cups of the eighties and how important they were. They were probably the most important games of the season. That’s still there with me. We want to experience that latter stages of the competition.”

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