Cambridge boss Mark Bonner saluted his players as they proved the magic of the FA Cup is still alive after the League One side dumped Premier League Newcastle out of the competition.
Joe Ironside's second-half goal secured a famous 1-0 third-round win at St James' Park on an afternoon when recent Magpies signing Kieran Trippier was handed an insight into the problems his new employers - who have lost striker Callum Wilson to injury for eight weeks - face.
Asked about the suggestion that the FA Cup is not what it once was, Bonner said: "It certainly is to teams at our level.
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"I understand that some say that and why - there's more football now than there ever was before.
"But the magic of the FA Cup, I guess, is about the underdog pulling out a surprise story. We knew going into today there's always an upset somewhere and whether we could be it, we didn't know.
"But somehow we found a way of doing it and I'm delighted that we have done."
For Middlesbrough-born Ironside, the goal which took his club into the fourth round for the first time since they met Manchester United in 2015, was extra special at a ground so often graced by boyhood hero Alan Shearer.
Bonner said: "This was the game he wanted when the draw came around last time and he dreamed of scoring against them. Shearer was his idol, so it's a major moment for him and I'm really proud of him and the contribution that he's made to the game."
Cambridge were also indebted to keeper Dimitar Mitov, who made two fine saves from Jacob Murphy before the break, but saved the best until it mattered most when he somehow turned away Joelinton's stoppage-time header to seal victory.
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