There is nothing quite like the first time. Or the first time in living memory, at least. Of all the strides taken by Newcastle since the Saudi takeover in 2021, the Carabao Cup will always be the stop on the road sprinkled with the most magic. Champions League football is more than nice, the return of adventure to following this club appreciated as much as the swelling of the club coffers, in these days when every fan at every club feels like a de facto bean counter as well as a cheerleader.

But after those 56 years without a trophy, how could it be any other way? When Eddie Howe’s team finally broke that desperate drought on 16 March last year, it was a lifetime highlight for all different generations.

With St Patrick’s Day to follow it felt like a celebratory bank holiday had been declared by the Geordie Nation, the throng in pubs and bars from Osborne Road to the Bigg Market teeming out on to the streets like champagne bubbles escaping from the neck of a bottle.

If the scorer of the decisive goal on that historic day, Alexander Isak, has gone under less than amicable circumstances,...