TOON CAN'T BUY A WIN
| Published date | 09 January 2022 |
| Publication title | People, The |
The U's produced a heroic performance for their 5,000 travelling fans, against a disjointed, dispirited Eddie Howe side.
From striker Ironside, to keeper Dimitar Mitov, and every battling man in yellow in between, this was a major shock. Visitors' coach Mark Bonner masterminded a brilliantly committed display, as hungry and aggressive as the Magpies were disinterested.
Defeat represents a fresh low point - puncturing the Tyneside optimism, and heaping scrutiny on Howe who has only managed one win in his nine games in charge.
By the 70th minute new-boy Kieran Trippier was swearing and cursing to himself.
The England international has swapped the La Liga champions, and last-16 of the Champions League, for this listless shambles.
Saudi Public Investment Fund boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan was in the executive box seeing for himself the weaknesses in the squad he paid £305million to buy. Howe will hope not to be summoned for a Saudi dressing down.
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It was hardly the advertisement Newcastle needed as they try to splash tens of millions this month and sign elite players for their Premier League relegation battle.
tale upset and it us.
Amazingly, in the last 16 years, the Magpies have only gone beyond the FA Cup fourth round once.
It was Middlesbrough lad
Ironside who became Cambridge's hero with his first goal in the competition. His 56th-minute effort stunned the Geordies. The journeyman striker, 28, smashed home from six yards out after a scramble in the area with the home side failing to clear.
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Ironside was a major handful all game with Fabian h
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Schar and Emil Krafth given a working over by his physicality.
It took a three-and-a-half -minute VAR check to allow the strike - with two CAMBRIDGE players looking offside on the freeze-frame.
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Ironside said: "I have got to play here and it is the stuff I dreamed of. Alan Shearer was my hero, I grew up idolising pl dr m him - now I have scored the winner at St James' Park. It doesn't matter how they go in, it could have been that or a worldie, I don't care.
"We have all dug in together and it is a momentous day for the football club."
Without the injured Callum Wilson up front, the home side lacked coherence in attack despite Mitov excelling to keep out three first-half chances.
The Bulgarian keeper also made a...
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