Newcastle fans are living it up in London ahead of their team's Carabao Cup final against Manchester United, taking over Trafalgar Square on Saturday afternoon for a true Geordie party.
The Toon Army have descended on the capital this weekend as they prepare to back Eddie Howe 's side at Wembley in Sunday's mouth-watering final. Newcastle supporters are dreaming of their first major trophy win since 1969, as they triumphed in what's now considered to be the Europa League.
Beloved boss Howe knows that his Magpies will be backed by tens of thousands of fans come kick-off, but well over 24 hours prior, Newcastle's supporters got the party started. Adorning London's iconic square with black and white flags, scarves and memorabilia, the Toon Army followed in the footsteps of many other fan bases before them, such as when bitter north-east rivals Sunderland have visited Wembley on multiple occasions in recent years.
Chants erupted and the beer flowed - something which supporters hadn't been able to enjoy on their dry trains down to the capital - as Londoners and tourists alike witnessed Newcastles's takeover. Grateful of the immense backing, Howe is hoping to reward his teams' passionate fans when the business gets underway at 4:30pm on Sunday.
"To win would mean the world to me to do that, but it would not necessarily be for me," the Magpies manager explained during Tuesday's media day. "It would be more, genuinely, for the supporters, for everyone connected with the club to embrace that moment if we were able to do it.
"They've had a long wait for that moment and I know just from my very limited dealings with people around the city, the love they have for the football club. I'd love to return that love with a trophy."
Local lad and left-back Dan Burn is desperate to do the same, too, having endured Newcastle's gruelling trophy drought as supporter. "I don't want us to be happy to be here and if we lose, people say, 'You did well to get there'," Burn explained. "I want winning as the only option."
The Blyth-born defender added: "To have that opportunity to get over the line compared to amazing teams in the past, teams from Kevin Keegan 's era, Bobby Robson 's era, full of amazing players who did not quite get there, to have the opportunity to do it… I feel very lucky."
Captain Kieran Trippier comes from a family for Man United fans but knows that they'll be on his side. "It's a proud moment for all my family even though they are Reds," Trippier revealed. "They will be supporting me. Hopefully, we can give a good account of ourselves for the club and bring the trophy back to Newcastle."
Club legend Alan Shearer, who twice finished as a runner-up in the FA Cup final as a Newcastle player, is another boyhood fan who's hoping that his long wait to enjoy some glory comes to an end on Sunday. "Give me the trophy," Shearer told BBC Sport. "I would gladly finish mid-table if it meant Newcastle won a trophy.
"It's been far too long. I want and need Newcastle to win a trophy in my lifetime. I was here in 1998 and 1999 when we had to do a parade on the back of losing the FA Cup final. There was a quarter of a million people there. It was pretty embarrassing [for us as players].
Have your say! Who'll win the Carabao Cup - Man Utd or Newcastle? Let us know your prediction in the comments section.
"Imagine the reaction if Newcastle come back with a trophy and I want to see it – give me a trophy any day. I can only imagine what Newcastle would be like on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and the next 10 years if Newcastle win the Carabao Cup final."
He's well within his rights to imagine the pandemonium judging by Saturday's scenes in the capital.
