Newcastle United fans have reacted to landing a favourable home tie against Championship side Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup.
The competition’s draw for the third round took place on Monday night and supporters will be pleased the Toon have avoided the other Premier League clubs.
But despite the favourable draw, supporters will also be wary of Newcastle’s FA cup record over the past decade.
The Magpies have failed to get past the fourth round since every year since 2006, where they reached the quarter-final, but lost to Manchester United.
Since then, their results in the world’s oldest football competition have been woeful for a team of their standards.
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A draw against Blackburn is easily one of their better opening chances over the past few years.
In the past five seasons, Newcastle have been knocked out by a fellow Premier League side on four occasions. But Benitez’s comments earlier in the season hint that fans shouldn’t expect too much of the side in cup competitions.
Benitez on cup competitions
Speaking to The Chronicle about cup runs earlier this season, Benitez said “If we don’t have any injuries and we can manage – we will try to compete.
“But the priority always has to be to stay in the Premier League. I can’t promise that the target is to win the FA Cup because I will be lying to our fans.
“I know our fans want a good run in the cup. And we will try with the squad that we have.”
From these comments, it’s understandable why many Newcastle fans aren’t entirely hopeful of their chances.
But some are a little more positive about the possibility of experiencing some of the FA Cup’s famous magic.
Fans on drawing Blackburn Rovers
