“we want to”-Newcastle United star outlines trophy ambitions after Liverpool and Man Utd disappointment

Newcastle United are approaching 70 years without winning a major domestic trophy – but Nick Pope has set his sights on ending that drought.
Pope has been a key component of Eddie Howe’s squad since joining from Burnley in the summer of 2022, but missed the club’s biggest game this century against Manchester United in the 2023 Carabao Cup semi-final because of suspension. Pope was shown a red card during their Premier League match with Liverpool eight days before their trip to Wembley and had to sit in the stands as Loris Karius made his first appearance for the Magpies.
Newcastle would be defeated 2-0 by the Red Devils on that occasion and miss the chance to end their long wait for a major trophy. Not since their FA Cup triumph in 1955 have the Magpies lifted a major domestic honour with this season’s Carabao Cup providing their only opportunity to stop that wait from going past the 70-year mark.
Howe’s side host AFC Wimbledon at St James’ Park tonight knowing a win would land them a home tie against Chelsea in the next round and put them 90 minutes from yet another quarter-final appearance. For Pope, tonight’s match offers him – and his teammates – another chance to etch their name in the club’s history and that is all the motivation they need. “I would like to go one step further [in the Carabao Cup]. Of course it’s motivation, for sure. Motivated on a personal level and the club, as players, we want to be the group that breaks the years without a trophy.”
Pope continued: “The motivation is there for us. We know it has been a long time. The fans give us a hell of a lot both home and away and we know how much it means to them. We want to be that group.”
Wimbledon are going to be highly motivated and that’s the next step in that competition that we all want to do well in. They are a team with rich history and giant killings themselves. Every team we play against are going to be different than Man City but it’s going to be a test for us and important for us to get to the next round.”