Devoted to the Toon until the very end, Liam Sweeney and John Alder should be among the thousands of Newcastle United fans travelling to Wembley this weekend.
The pair, who lost their lives in the 2014 MH17 plane disaster while following their beloved Toon will forever be remembered as two of the club's most loyal supporters.
And as Liam's dad Barry prepares to make the trip to London for Newcastle's first cup final more than 20 years, he knows what will be a day of celebration will also be tinged with sadness for John and Liam's loved ones.
The 61-year-old says his son, who never got the chance to see the Toon play in a cup final would have been over-the-moon with their Carabao cup run.
And both Liam and John will be in Barry's thoughts throughout the game on Sunday.
He said: "I can just see the two of them smiling down. Liam had never been to a cup final, he would have been over-the-moon."
Liam, 28, from Killingworth and John Alder, 63, from Gateshead, were travelling to New Zealand to watch the Magpies in a pre-season friendly when they died.
They were killed, alongside 296 others on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, when it was shot down while travelling from Amsterdam to Malaysia on July 17, 2014.
Their death united football fans from across the North East in mourning, with Sunderland and Newcastle supporters coming together to raise money in their memory.
Barry, from Longbenton, says his son would have been one of the first to get a ticket for Sunday's game.
But he is now preparing for an emotional trip to London to witness the occasion his son never got the chance to see.
He added: "Liam would definitely have been there,. He was married to Newcastle United. He would have been first in the queue for tickets.
"I'm partly doing it for Liam and John. It's always there. They will be with me on Sunday."
Read next:
- 'It's always there' - Murdered Gateshead schoolboy's sister lifts lid on lifetime of grief
- Grieving mum’s devastation as council orders removal of £1,000 ornate railings from son’s grave
- Dad of attempted murderer Jessica Whinham vows to stand by her after horror crime conviction
- 'As soon as that knife went in there was no bringing her back': Sister of stabbed Jodie Wilkinson pleads for end to violence
- Fawdon sandwich shop Buttie-licious left damaged after being repeatedly rammed by Range Rover
