Nobby Solano studies the picture of his Newcastle team walking out at Wembley and shakes his head.
It’s May 1999, 23 years ago, and the last time the Tyneside club reached a final. The Peruvian says: “That’s too long ago, too many wasted years for Newcastle, but it also feels like yesterday.”
Solano makes the FA Cup final tunnel walk alongside Alan Shearer, Rob Lee, Nikos Dabizas and two hours later they were the latest side to try, and fail, to end the club’s domestic trophy drought which stretches back to 1955. Like on Sunday in the Carabao Cup final, Manchester United were the opponents, they won 2-0, the second leg of their treble.
