Newcastle United's road to Wembley began on a warm night on the Wirral away to Tranmere Rovers on a strange old night at Prenton Park.
Things were hardly going to plan on second round night in the Carabao Cup when Elliot Nevitt netted after 21 minutes to give Rovers a deserved lead. We didn't know it then but the narrative for this season's competition for Newcastle was already being written behind the main stand as Martin Dubravka's loan move to Manchester United was being finalised by the club's admin staff.
The fact that Dubravka would later be ineligible because of it for Newcastle in the final that night probably didn't dawn on anybody. A reminder on the charmed life of a goalkeeper did come when Karl Darlow was crocked by a bad tackle but played on.
