Good evening and a warm welcome back to St. James’ Park. Tonight, we go up against Marco Silva and his Fulham squad as we aim for a place in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup.

It was only in late October that we faced Fulham here in the Premier League so the two teams know each other well. Marco’s side have had two excellent results in their last two away matches so we know the challenge ahead of us, but this is a competition we love and we are determined to continue our excellent record in it.

This is also our first opportunity to respond to the bitter disappointment we all felt after Sunday. It was clear that our performance in the derby didn’t reflect the high standards we set ourselves, and we won’t hide behind excuses. How we represent Newcastle United means everything to us, and there is a collective determination in the dressing room to put things right.

Our response will ultimately be defined by what we deliver on the pitch, not what we say. We know we must demonstrate the qualities that have been our hallmark in recent seasons and use the pain of a setback as motivation to secure our third semi-final place in the last four years.

The positive of having so many games in quick succession is we have lots of opportunities to put together a run of form that will give us the progress we crave across four competitions. Starting tonight.

We know the galvanising effect a cup run can have. We have had some incredible highs in this competition and our cup win last season was the culmination of so many challenges and obstacles that we managed to overcome with you beside us.

The backing you give the team through thick and thin is incredible, and I want to extend my thanks to you for that, particularly after the disappointment of Sunday’s result.

Your support has been – and will continue to be – a crucial part of our collective success, and we will give everything we can to earn it again tonight and in our upcoming matches.

Enjoy the game.

Eddie Howe