I WANT TO BE AN ALL-TYNE GREAT
Ipswich fan Pope grew up with tales of glory years... now he’s one game away from Toon immortality alongside Milburn, Mitchell & Harvey
NICK POPE is just 90 minutes away from writing his name in Newcastle folklore.
The rejuvenated Toon can end decades of hurt if they win the Carabao Cup at Wembley later this month.
It is 23 years since Newcastle’s last Wembley appearance, 24 since their last Cup final, 47 since they reached the League Cup final, 54 since they last won silverware (the Fairs Cup), and 68 since their last major domestic honour.
No one who played for Toon in the FA Cup finals of 1951, 1952 and 1955 is alive today and yet the names of Jackie Milburn, Bobby Mitchell and Joe Harvey are still revered on Tyneside.
Pope, a boyhood Ipswich fan, is aware immortality beckons for him and his team-mates because he knows all about the exploits of the Ipswich stars of yesteryear. Pope wasn’t born when Sir Bobby Robson’s Tractor Boys won the FA Cup in 1978 and the UEFA Cup three years later but the names of the players who achieved those feats are as familiar to him as they are to older generations.
“My Dad went to all the games so he made sure I knew all about them,” said Pope, before reeling off those Tractor Boys of a bygone age. “Paul Cooper, Mick Mills...the names of legends.
“Sean Longstaff, Dan Burn and Paul Dummett, the local lads here, say the same about Newcastle greats of the past. Right at the start of the season, we talked about our ambitions and what it would mean to the whole city to bring a Cup back to Newcastle. So that is our aim – to go down to London and bring one home.”
Unlike many team-mates, Pope will be no Wembley rookie when he walks out for the final on February 26.
His last appearance at the national stadium was not a happy one. He fumbled a Serge Gnabry shot that allowed Kai Havertz to grab a last-gasp equaliser for Germany in a 3-3 draw.
“It wasn’t great when I last walked off the pitch there but, as a keeper, you have moments like that,” said Pope. “That’s not a good memory but I’ve had a few good ones this season and I’m proud of the way I reacted to it.”
When Che Adams gave Southampton a glimmer of hope in Tuesday’s semi-final second leg, it was the first goal Pope had conceded on home soil from open play since September 17.
His form has been the cornerstone of their stunning form this season, which sees them go into Saturday’s Premier League game against West Ham in third place. Last season they finished in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Pope was fighting a relegation battle with Burnley last term when the Magpies pulled off their own great escape and claims it was results 12 months ago that inspired this year’s massive improvement for Toon
“Yes, it’s all happened quickly but as a group of players we have great ambitions to push ourselves,” said the 30-year-old.
“I wasn’t here at the time but the players who were realise how much momentum they picked up from the second half of last season.
“So at the start of this one we did not limit our ambitions. We have the opportunity to make our mark on the history of this unbelievable football club.
“The city has been through a lot of years with not too much success. Now it’s our turn with the baton to make our mark.”