LAND OF POPE AND GLORY
Another clean sheet but the real target is a trophy and Toon keeper Nick reveals: Near misses of the past are driving this team to get one over the line. I know the place would go crackers if we can do it
BY
AT the ministry of defence, Nick Pope added to the biggest stockpile of clean sheets since Brentford Nylons.
Then the England goalkeeper turned his attention to a massive week for Newcastle United, and the Toon’s mission to end 68 years without a domestic trophy, grinning: “My personal best is third place in League Two – that’s not much to shout about. I would like to add to that.” If Pope keeps the back door shut in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal at St Mary’s tomorrow, the Geordie nation will be camped at the gates of Wembley for the first time since 2000.
There is no logical reason why they should fall short. All football empires are based on a sound defence and, after 15 games unbeaten, Newcastle’s back line is the best in the country.
On a grim evening in south London, they unfurled their 12th shut-out in 20 Premier League matches, their sixth on the spin, and nobody has a better record than the Magpies’ 11 goals conceded.
Pope, 30, stood around like a spare part in the deep freeze for 73 minutes before producing a world-class save to deny Palace sub Jean-philippe Mateta an unlikely winner (above).
“Those moments are what you train for,” said Pope. “A big part of being a goalkeeper is keeping your mind switched on, being ready to make a difference when it matters.
“We’re getting a lot right defensively, and the stats are a credit to our coaching staff as well as the lads on the pitch. We don’t score too many so we have to get something! I am pleased with the amount of clean sheets we have amassed, but we always want more.” Tomorrow comes the moment of truth for manager Eddie Howe (left, with Kieran Trippier) at Southampton. The Toon must dream big because they will never get a better opportunity to break their trophy drought.
They will need to be more incisive in the final third, but
Pope insisted: “We are not a complete team yet. In a way, we are a new team but with more ambition, so it is about enjoying the challenge.
“The players and fans want to win a trophy. Not many in the dressing room have played in many semi-finals or finals, and you can feel the excitement at this football club, having this opportunity to push ourselves towards getting a trophy.
“You realise the stature of this club and the great teams the club has had down the years without winning things. You think of Shearer, Asprilla...so many big names. They have not got over the line and it’s driving us to put that right.
“I have only been here six months and even I know the place will go crackers if we can do it. It is great to have that carrot and to have exciting things to chase rather than fighting off relegation.”
Pope was promoted from League Two with Bury in 2015 but, on his scroll of honours, er... that’s it. Players of his calibre deserve at least one opentopped bus ride that isn’t the Seasider along the promenade at Whitley Bay.
And for those of us who were with Newcastle on their last excursion to Wembley, it would be nice to see the whole game this time if they make it. Some chump suffered an allergic reaction to apple skin 90 minutes before kick-off and missed the first half of their 2-1 defeat by Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final 23 years ago because he was plugged into an adrenaline tap, oxygen mask and electrocardiogram in the stadium hospital.