Wem-ber-lee, Wem-ber-lee... The sound echoes across a vibrant city and down the corridor of the Tyne. We're on our way! Yes, siree.
Except that getting to England's national stadium, football's shrine, is no longer good enough for this team of unbeatables. Newcastle United did that in 1974, 1976, 1998 and 1999 and left every single time empty-handed with their dreams crushed.
The League Cup needs to be won and if the considerable shadow of Manchester United is cast upon us then so what? This is a different Newcastle to then. This is a genuine rebirth and we can travel in hope not fear.
READ MORE: Newcastle's fitting cup heroes emerge after incredible Eddie Howe transformation
The challenge is not beyond Eddie Howe and his black and white army. They have drawn at Man U already this season, drawn at Arsenal which no one else has achieved, won at Spurs. They have beaten Chelsea and drawn with Manchester City. The cream have regularly challenged and regularly failed to lower the Geordie standard.
No longer are the black and whites beaten before they start in showpiece finals. The spirit and swagger of Wor Jackie, Bobby Mitch, Joe Harvey, and Big Frank abounds in the current clutch of heroes.
I am about to bridge the considerable gap between my schooldays when I watched Milburn and Mitchell claim the FA Cup three times in the early fifties and my old age when we will walk on Wembley yet again but with a distinct possibility of leaving with a swagger. In between I reported on all four failed finals for the Chronicle and have no wish to make it a nap hand.
We were outsiders each time in a two horse race . . . Kevin Keegan and Liverpool's future European champions, Manchester City and Dennis Tueart, Arsenal about to complete a double, and Man U completing a treble. United have never won won the league cup. Last won any major trophy 54 years ago. Last claimed a domestic cup gone 68 years. Why are we still waiting? Enough is enough.
Wembley 2023 was confirmed by beating Southampton home and away and under no circumstances were Geordies going to allow their celebrations to turn sour even if their biggest hero Bruno Guimaraes was sent off by VAR to face a three-game ban and form, explosive at the start of the second leg, petered out once the Saints beat Nick Pope at long last after 10 successive clean sheets.
It was like taking a pin to a balloon and with a two-goal cushion on aggregate United seemed to lose the urgency and desire to continue in their ruthless way. In the end 'one of our own' Sean Longstaff became the toast of the toon with a double goal blast. He has worked so diligently, so hard to enjoy a moment like this.
It was totally appropriate that a club now awash with money and newcomers via the transfer market should achieve their final step to Wembley through a cost-nothing local lad because current success is built as much on those who were already here as those who have been bought in.
I was sitting next to a Newcastle No 9 legend Malcolm Macdonald, their line leader the only time United made a league cup final 47 years ago, and as Longstaff rifled home the opener to effectively seal the fate of the sinning Saints SuperMac instinctively exclaimed:"that's a killer goal." It was too, 1-0 from St Mary's was suddenly 2-0 and United were within sight of the holy grail.
It was for me and him a rerun of the 76 semi-final on the same hallowed turf. SuperMac played in Alan Gowling after three minutes for a game changing goal in front of 50,000 Geordies and Tottenham's lead was wiped out. Here it took only a minute longer but the damage was just as permanent.
With 20 minutes gone Southampton were effectively finished with Longstaff once again the unlikely scorer just as Glenn Keeley and Geoff Nulty were in SuperMac's time. However the game lost its sparkle when Che Adams beat Pope as no one has in a long, long time before the half hour was up.
Even introducing a completely new front three with an hour played failed to wake up United as they played the game out in neutral. Job done, Wembley on its way in three short weeks. In the meantime United must play for Champions League points without Bruno, ironically lost on the day they sold Jonjo Shelvey to leave the midfield cupboard bare.
He will be sorely missed as United battle on their second front and not playing again for effectively the full month of February until Wembley is not ideal but it is what Howe is faced with and what Bruno has brought upon himself. He was in tears when injured recently because he thought he could miss Wembley. Here he nearly did.
Luckily Joelinton, United's physical colossus, can switch into midfield starting with West Ham on Saturday leaving Allan Saint-Maximin and new boy Anthony Gordon to jostle for a left wide position over a trio of matches although the front formation could be tweaked to accommodate Alexander Isak or even Jacob Murphy could slot in. Decision time Eddie.
Our Carabao Cup final special is available to pre-order now! CLICK HERE to get your copy as Newcastle United prepare for a historic day out at Wembley. Also available to purchase through local participating retailers from February 15th.'
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