BRUCE’S QUEST FOR CUP GLORY

West Brom v Newcastle

NEWCASTLE’S FA Cup record in the Mike Ashley era reads more like a crime sheet – something current boss Steve Bruce is hoping to change.

Tuesday night’s trip to The Hawthorns to face Championship leaders West Brom in the fifth round represents the furthest Newcastle have travelled in the competition in the 13 years under owner Ashley.

Last season, Geordie hero Alan Shearer labelled their latest failure, a fourthround defeat at home to Watford “pathetic”.

Gateshead-born former Liverpool star Don Hutchison surveyed the wreckage, and said: “Newcastle are an utter shambles in the FA Cup.”

And former St James’ Park striker Micky Quinn said: “The fans keep paying money to see mediocrity at times. And don’t forget, if you look back in time before Mike Ashley arrived, there was always a proud tradition of Newcastle United and the FA Cup.”

Shearer himself was in the side which reached successive FA Cup Finals in 1998 and 1999, while back in the 50s there were regular trips to Wembley to watch ‘Wor’ Jackie Milburn, Bobby Mitchell, Vic Keeble, Joe Harvey and company.

They won the famous trophy three times in that decade – the 1955 triumph amazingly Newcastle’s last major domestic prize.

Shearer was on punditry duty for the replay against Oxford. He said: “The Newcastle fans have a great affection for this competition, but, in the last 12 years, Newcastle have been hopeless in it.

“In defence of Steve [Bruce] he’s always said he will play his strongest team, and this is a decent draw.”

Bruce is definitely up for it, insisting: “The FA Cup Final is still a huge moment in this country – I have vowed I would never play weakened teams.”

MIKEL ARTETA has called on his battered Arsenal squad to rally around “gutted” skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Arsenal boss Arteta (right) has revealed his Gabonese striker is still reeling from his role in the club’s shock Europa League exit last week. Aubameyang missed a last-minute open goal after his injury-time overhead kick had set the Gunners on course to go through. And now Arteta fears the fallout of defeat by Greeks Olympiacos could include his leading goalscorer quitting this summer for Champions League football. “He was gutted,” Arteta said after Auba and his teammates went to training yesterday for the first time since Thursday’s horror show. “Obviously he scored a wonder goal that was putting us through, and with the last kick of the game, he had the best chance of the game.”

UP FOR CUP Bruce has vowed never to play a weakened Toon