Newcastle United supporters took over Covent Garden in London on Saturday evening, ahead of the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley. Daniel Wales reports.
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00:00So, we're here in Covent Garden in central London where Newcastle United supporters have
00:09taken over the capital. It's a sea of black and white behind me, there's pyrotechnics,
00:14there's a lot of fun being had, of course ahead of the Calgary World Cup final at Wembley
00:19on Sunday against Liverpool. But for now though, that's out of their heads, all they want to
00:23do is have a good time and support their team.
00:27The day had started back in Newcastle, where thousands of Geordies were getting ready to
00:32begin their journeys south to London. Flags were draped on the banks of the Tyne to give
00:40them all the best send-off possible. Those arriving at Central Station in the city centre
00:48knew that rail works on the east coast main line meant that replacement coaches would
00:52be used to get as far as York, before trains would then take them the rest of the way to
00:57the capital. A steady stream of travellers were beginning to arrive.
01:10On the trains, the atmosphere was full of anticipation, not necessarily about the match
01:15itself at this point, but instead about joining the black and white party in Covent Garden.
01:21The arrival of the trains into Kings Cross Station saw the volume increase, as all of
01:26the Newcastle supporters made their way off the platforms and outside into the London
01:30fresh air, before they all began to disperse onto the Tube network, with Covent Garden
01:36being the next destination.
01:42By mid-afternoon it was already chaotic, but all were in good spirits and enjoying the
01:47Geordie take-over.
02:17As the evening progressed, thoughts of the final began
02:45to creep into many minds, but the joy of being part of this celebration had allowed
03:46At that point though, the final was still many hours away, and the spectacle of thousands
03:51of Newcastle supporters in the heart of the capital, in full voice, was a sight to behold.
03:57I think, you know, as you can see behind you, plenty of fans, plenty of atmosphere, great
04:03atmosphere again, so, you know, we've just got to savour this, enjoy it, and see what
04:07tomorrow brings.
04:08Yeah, everyone seems in good spirits, you know, there's a few fags around, you know,
04:13they've got the pub hanging them from the top, yeah, everyone seems good spirits.
04:19Several miles north-west of Covent Garden, Wembley Stadium was quiet, as if preparing
04:25for what was to come.
04:27Inside, War Flags were busy setting up their pre-match display, in the hope of giving the
04:32players an extra edge ahead of kick-off.
04:36Unhappy memories of two years ago are still fresh for Newcastle, and the Geordies would
04:41not like to see them be repeated.