Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is hoping for an FA Cup run after a 3-0 third-round victory over derby rivals Sunderland (Owen Humphreys/PA)
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has urged his players to use their FA Cup derby victory over Sunderland as a springboard for the second half of the season.
The Magpies ended a run of seven defeats in eight games in all competitions with a resounding 3-0 third-round win at the Stadium of Light on Saturday to get the better of their arch-rivals for the first time in 10 attempts dating back to 2011.
A place in the fourth round presents the prospect of a run in a competition which has assumed ever greater importance for the club following their exits from the Champions League and Carabao Cup in December.
Asked if they could use the win as a launchpad, head coach Howe said: “Well, hopefully. That’s how we have to look at it.
“Naturally when you don’t win for a period of time, confidence can be affected. Our players are the same as any others.
“Today will have done them the world of good. We’ve not just won the game, but we’ve performed well, we’ve scored goals, we’ve kept a clean sheet so all round, it’s a very good day.”
Victory over the Black Cats was significant – it was a first in the FA Cup under Howe after third-round exits at the hands of League One sides Cambridge and Sheffield Wednesday in the last two seasons.
Newcastle’s Joelinton (second right) celebrates the opening goal at the Stadium of Light with his team-mates (Owen Humphreys/PA)
Asked about the prospect of a cup run, Howe said: “We’d love that. The third round has not been kind to us the last couple of years, two difficult moments for us.
“But as I said in the build-up to the game, those moments actually helped us grow. Now we
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