Paul Dummett could not contain his excitement after posting on Instagram about Newcastle United drawing Sunderland in the FA Cup for the first Tyne-Wear derby since 2016.
Newcastle will face the Championship side on the weekend of January 6 in the third round of the FA Cup eight years after the last derby day which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Dummett posted on Instagram immediately after the draw to suggest that it has topped off a brilliant weekend after a 1-0 victory against Man United.
Dummett can’t wait for Newcastle vs Sunderland
Dummett has been at the club his whole life and is one of only a few players who will have experienced a derby day alongside captain Jamaal Lascelles.
Although typically Newcastle have not had the best of luck when it comes to playing Sunderland, Eddie Howe’s men have no reason to believe they can’t beat the second division team.
They have already beaten some of the best teams in the world even despite the long injury list and there’s no doubt that Howe will make sure that his players know what is at stake.
Dummett has played in both Carabao Cup games so far this season, so the Newcastle-born defender may get his chance to play again at the Stadium of Light.
On his Instagram story, Dummett posted: “Didn’t think this weekend could get any better.”
Newcastle’s luck with the draw continues
In the 2023-24 season, Newcastle have so far drawn Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, PSG, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and now Sunderland across all competitions.
Sunderland may not have the quality of all the aforementioned teams, but it’s a tie that is different than any other FA Cup game Newcastle could have played and it’s set to be a tough match regardless.
With Sunderland currently going through a poor run of form and Newcastle flying high with hopes of making the Champions League for the second consecutive season, it looks a formality on paper, but any Newcastle fan knows that’s not how it works.
It’ll certainly be the most confident the Magpies have been in a derby for a long time, but there’s too much history in this game to be so sure of a result.
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