'I'm not sure': Eddie Howe now shares how he reacted to hearing the news of the FA Cup quarter-final draw

It's safe to say that Newcastle United haven't had the best of luck when it comes to cup draws this season and that trend continued on Wednesday night.

Newcastle were drawn in the 'group of death' for the Champions League which included Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, then in the Carabao Cup the Magpies were drawn against top-six teams in each round knocking out both Manchester clubs before succumbing to Chelsea on penalties.

Eddie Howe's men are still in the FA Cup which has been the kindest of the competitions in terms of opposition, but every single round has seen Newcastle drawn as the away side. First up it was our fierce rivals, Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, followed by a trip to Fulham and then Blackburn Rovers who took us to penalties on Tuesday night. Newcastle broke tradition by emerging victorious from an FA Cup penalty shoot-out for the first time in their history.

The Footballing Gods have not been kind this season

The reward? Another away draw this time to current holders Manchester City. Perhaps the worst draw we could have got other than maybe away to Liverpool.

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Facing the media this morning ahead of the visit of Wolves tomorrow, Eddie Howe revealed his reaction to hearing the news of the draw (via The Chronicle).

"I was driving at the time and almost swerved off the road! It wasn't the draw we wanted, that's for sure. I'm not sure any team wants to play Manchester City four times in a season but we're looking forward to the game. I believe we can beat anyone when at our best and we've had three really close games with them this season."

We're looking for the positives here

We're sure that was hyperbolic by the gaffer, but it would just sum up our season had he wrapped his car round a tree and had to manage the rest of the season on crutches or something.

The one positive is that, although Newcastle and the Etihad do not mix, the one time we have beaten City on their own turf was in cup competition. And there's the fact that we have already knocked them out of one cup this season.

Anything is possible. Keep the faith. We've got this.