Newcastle United fans start Carabao Cup final ticket and travel clamour – but Eddie Howe has a warning

That day could be the busiest of the year on the East Coast Main Line – or not.

Eddie Howe was at pains to stress one thing at the St Mary’s Stadium as Newcastle United fans celebrated what they felt was a hugely-significant win for the club, which hasn’t won a major trophy since the 1969 Fairs Cup success.

The last away supporters had only just left the ground when Howe sat down to field questions on a 1-0 win over Southampton in the first leg of the club’s Carabao Cup semi-final.

A goal from Joelinton had seemingly seen Newcastle put one foot in next month’s final at Wembley. Manchester United lead Nottingham Forest 3-0 in the other semi-final.

Howe made it clear that, in his view, the two-legged tie was far from over after the first game.

“We know it's only half time – and there's a long way to go,” said United’s head coach. "It's been a good day, but there's still a long way to go in the tie.”

Howe’s right, of course. And had it not been for a superb save from goalkeeper Nick Pope to deny Che Adams when the score was goalless, the outcome of the first leg could have been very different.

But that hasn’t stopped Newcastle fans making plans for a potential first Wembley final appearance since 1999.

Tickets

There was a phenomenal demand for tickets for the sold-out second leg – tens of thousands of members queued online to buy tickets once season-ticket holders had claimed their seats – and if United progress, the clamour for final tickets will be even greater.

If last year’s final is anything to go by, this year’s finalists can each expect an official allocation of around 33,000 tickets at the 90,000-capacity stadium.

Liverpool were allocated 32,999 tickets for the 2022 showpiece, while Chelsea were given 33,053 seats.

There are already 2023 final tickets, starting at £689.99, on sale from one third-party website, while Wembley are selling their own hospitality packages costing thousands of pounds per seat.

The scramble for tickets for the showpiece has already started – and we don’t know the finalists yet.

Travel

Newcastle fans have also been booking trains to the capital on the weekend of the final.

There aren’t any LNER advance tickets left on many trains, while flights to London Heathrow with British Airways that weekend cost hundreds of pounds.

Hotels in London that weekend aren’t cheap, either. Many fans have already booked up refundable rooms in the knowledge that accommodation will only get more expensive.

United are one of a handful of clubs never to have played a cup game or play-off final at the rebuilt Wembley, though the team has played Tottenham Hotspur at the stadium when it was being used as their home game.

This isn’t a game – or a weekend – that anybody would want to miss if the club reaches the final.

Howe’s team could potentially make history next month – but, to have a chance of doing that, they must get through 90 minutes at St James’s Park.