Paul Dummett has labelled the possibility of getting to the FA Cup semi-final - and then playing it in front of no fans as 'typical Newcastle' but accepts beating Man City will be no easy task.
With the United Kingdom still in the grip of COVID-19, fans will not be allowed into stadiums to watch the season conclude, and Dummett knows just how much it would have meant to fans to get the chance to go to Wembley.
Dummett hasn't played since December and is still working back to full fitness, but hopes to be involved at some point in the remaining games - especially the FA Cup.
Speaking to NUFC TV, he said: "I'm a Newcastle fan, was born here, have lived here my whole life," he said. "The club haven't had a run like this in a long, long time so hopefully I can be involved in that.
"We all know we've got a tough game against one of the best teams in the league, so we have to be ready for that, but it's an exciting time being involved in a game in the quarter-finals, so hopefully we can progress from that.
"I've said to a few people, it's typical Newcastle; we've not been this far in the competition for a long time and imagine if we got to the semi-final or the final and we've got no fans there!
"The fans are a massive part of sport and especially football, and for Newcastle, in our area everyone lives and breathes football, so it won't be too great without the fans there, but the safety of everyone is the most important thing and hopefully we can put in performances that the fans can watch on TV, and they can celebrate at home when we score the goals.
"I've watched games on TV before and you still celebrate like you do in the stadium, so hopefully we can still put on a show for the fans, and they can enjoy the games that we've got remaining."
On the remaining league games, of which United kick-off against Sheffield United in a fortnight's time, Dummett has warned that while safety is within touching distance, there's still work to do.
"We got ourselves in a decent position - I think that win against Southampton, looking back now, was crucial for us because we're nearly safe - not totally, but we're in a good position to try and finish the season off strongly. With 35 points, it gives us a good base to try and finish it off."
