Wednesday 17 December 2014 18:50, UK
Alan Pardew has compared his Newcastle players' anticipation for their Capital One Cup quarter-final showdown with Tottenham to that felt before a trip to the "funfair".
Pardew’s side head to White Hart Lane on Wednesday hoping to reach their first semi-final appearance since they reached the last four in the FA Cup in 2004-05.
The Mapgies are buoyed by a run of just two defeats in 11 outings in all competitions since September and dispensed with Manchester City on their own pitch in the fourth round.
The 53-year-old said: "There is a spring in the step. There are people wondering if they are playing, and what a chance this is.
"It's like going to funfair, I guess, when you are young. You are really looking forward to it because it's going to be exciting, and that's the sense you get."
Pardew, whose ambition is to win a first piece of major silverware for the Newcastle since 1969, must keep enough in reserve for the weekend when arch-rivals Sunderland head for St James' Park on Sunday looking for a fourth successive derby victory.
"We have done well to get ourselves into this position. We have done well in the league, so that sets up that game [the derby)] nicely,” said Pardew, whose men have won at Crystal Palace and City in the last two rounds.
"We had two fantastic results in the cup, beating two Premier League sides just to get to where we are. We are now going to try and take this opportunity. It's about grasping it.
"I have played in quarter-finals before and there is just extra meaning to it. You just sense it. You are close, you are eight teams away.
"I can feel the squad bubbling under in terms of the excitement and looking forward to the two games.
"Look, the derby is a Premier League game and an important one. We are all aware of that. It carries more significance in this area, and maybe in the football world because of the fixture's history.
"But you know, a quarter-final of the League Cup doesn't come around too often for this club - and for Spurs, by the way - so both clubs know it's an important game.
"If I am honest, it is good to have a focus on something else. I think this distraction in the week is a good thing."
