THOUSANDS of excitable Newcastle United fans, including Ant and dec, have descended on London ahead of this afternoon’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
Geordies dressed in black and white stripes have taken over the capital in the hope their side scores its first major trophy in 54 years.
The Toon Army tied a huge flag to The Angel of the North in Gateshead yesterday morning before flocking down south.
As the sun set, they then gathered in Trafalgar Square for an all-night party before today’s clash against Manchester United.
Many are back again this afternoon, waving scarves and personalised banners, before the big game.
Others are already at Wembley to soak up the pre-match atmosphere.
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It the team’s first appearance in the final of a key tournament since losing 2-0 to United in the 1998/99 FA Cup final.
The 32,761 tickets allocated to the club at the 90,000-seater stadium sold out within a week and the travelling Magpies supporters have wasted no time getting acquainted with London.
Congregating last night, they sang terrace chants, downed cans of beer and let off smoke bombs in the club’s colours.
Even co-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi got involved, posting a photo on social media of him with fellow director Jamie Reuben enjoying the festivities with their hoods up.
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One middle-aged fan even stripped to his boxers to take a dip in one of Trafalgar Square’s two fountains.
Other football nuts gathered around Nelson’s Column to shouts of, “Tell me ma, me ma, I won’t be home for tea, we’re going to Wembley” to the tune of 1950s hit Que Sera, Sera.
Another chant saw an alternative rendition of gospel hymn When the Saints Go Marching In, with “Saints” replaced by “Mags”.
Newcastle have enjoyed a rapid rise up the Premier League table since the arrival of Mr Ghodoussi, Mr Reuben and other new investors.
Their Saudi Arabia-led consortium has funded more than £210million of new signings since taking over the club in October 2021.
Managed by Eddie Howe, Newcastle sit fifth in the Premier League, just one point behind Tottenham Hotspur in the final Champions League qualification spot.
Victory over Man Utd in tonight’s final would secure the club a play-off place in next season’s Europa Conference League.
It would be the first time Newcastle have played in Europe since the 2012/13 campaign, when they reached the quarter-final stage of the Europa League.
A win today would also be Newcastle’s first major trophy since lifting the Fairs Cup in 1969.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
