Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has already made it clear that last season's FA Cup defeat to Cambridge United was nothing more than a "painful reminder" of what can go wrong when a team doesn't hit their best levels.
Looking back on the 1-0 home defeat against the League One side last January it may even have been a blessing in disguise when you contemplate how well Newcastle did in the Premier League and staved off the threat of relegation much earlier than expected to deliver an 11th place finish.
Last night's FA Cup third round draw at Anfield saw Newcastle again pitched in with third tier opponents, this time in the shape of Sheffield Wednesday.
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Howe is unlikely to use the Cambridge experience as motivation with targets already set internally and the mission very much to have a run in the FA Cup. When United faced Tranmere Rovers back in August in the League Cup, Howe was thrown a question about Cambridge and said then: "It's not necessarily a bad thing to go back there (the aftermath of Cambridge) at times. I don't see any part of the group that isn't looking forward to performing and, hopefully, performing well.
"I don't think I'll be going back to the Cambridge game although that was a very painful reminder of what can happen if you don't play well."
United, under previous management, used to play weakened teams in the FA Cup and even the players weren't motivated to do well in the domestic knockout competitions. One of the reasons was that the bonus scheme was usually all based around staying in the Premier League.
Mike Ashley did once conjure up a scheme that would have seen Newcastle players net £20million for winning the cup in 2017 but that was at a time when teams were spending much bigger than the Magpies and Arsenal won it three times in four years.
For the record, in 2018, Newcastle beat Luton in round three before getting Chelsea away in round four and the story ended there as Rafa Benitez was left grappling with the board to sign players. Howe is targeting a trophy this season and has not played down his intentions in Press conferences or with his players.
If anything he has thrown the gauntlet down to the United players and signs displayed around the training ground remind the squad how long it's been since Newcastle last won a major domestic trophy. Once again Man City are the favourites to win the FA Cup this year but Newcastle are 12/1 with a clutch of bookies.
One thing is for sure, Howe will not be taking Sheff Wed lightly and will play a strong side. And knowing that one of Man City or Chelsea will go out in round three along with four other top-flight teams, after a clutch of all Premier League ties, United's cup hopes could be alive and kicking this year.
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