It looks like Newcastle United will be playing in front of a sold out St James’ Park on Saturday.
The Magpies take on Cambridge United in the FA Cup third round, with the League One side looking to shock their Premier League opponents.
The U’s quickly sold out their allocation, buoyed by a trip to one of the biggest stadiums in the country. But Toon fans are just as up for the cup as the Cambridge supporters are.
Looking at the club’s online box office, it appears that there are no tickets left for the game on the 8th of January. St James’ Park will be sold out for an FA Cup third round tie against a third tier side.
It’s quite astonishing, and just sums up the change in mood among Toon fans.
Takeover has reenergised Newcastle fans
In 2020, Newcastle faced Rochdale in an FA Cup third round replay. Less than 30,000 fans were inside SJP. In the following round, we played Oxford in front of a capacity crowd – aided by £1 tickets for under 12s.
When we faced Burnley at home in the League Cup earlier this season, only 30,082 fans showed up. That was when Steve Bruce was in charge, and whatever hope remained was dwindling away.
But October’s takeover has reenergised supporters. They want to watch the team again. They want to support the club.
The atmosphere in the ground since the takeover has been special. The fans are constantly sticking with the players no matter what happens, as the Magpies look to avoid relegation.
Players and fans were mocked for celebrating the win over Burnley last month – our first of the season. Heaven forbid you celebrate winning a game of football nowadays…
Even an FA Cup clash against a League One side is capturing the imagination of the Toon Army. They want to watch this new Newcastle – even before they’ve made any new signings.
The arrival of PIF, Amanda Staveley and Jamie Reuben has already transformed Newcastle, and this is only the beginning.
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