Howay the lads – and everyone else!

It will also mark the progress of a club on the up. For years, Newcastle has been a study in disgruntlement, underachieving on the pitch with the fans well and truly fed up with the then owner, Mike Ashley. They always felt that with a little bit of financial backing this was a club that could go far rather than forever flirting with relegation.

And they have been proved right, although that money – and their dreams – have been extremely well managed by Eddie Howe. Money doesn’t guarantee success, so his role has certainly been crucial, although money most certainly helps a football club become successful.

The cup final also, we hope, marks a region on the footballing up. Middlesbrough and Sunderland, after seasons of dropping down and near misses, are looking good for promotion from their divisions, and today Darlington face what their manager calls a “season-defining game” as they look to cement their place in at least the promotion play-offs – another step on their inexorable rise back to the Football League.

Good luck to one and all.