Newcastle United supporters will have to consider a change of plan from the last time the Toon Army took over London for the Carabao Cup final.

There were jubilant and merry scenes at a ram-packed Trafalgar Square in 2023 in the build-up to Newcastle reaching a rare final against Manchester United. Black-and-white shirts dominated the capital city that day. 

The Magpies secured a return to Wembley with their semi-final victory over Arsenal on Wednesday night, as a tidy Jacob Murphy finish was later added to as Fabian Schar’s high-press allowed Anthony Gordon through one-on-one to make it 4-0 on aggregate.

Toon fans given London notice

According to Craig Hope at The Mail, Newcastle United fans will NOT be able to gather in Trafalgar Square on eve of the Carabao Cup final next month.

The square will be closed for St Patrick’s Day celebration set-up, meaning there’ll be no gathering at the spot thousands of Geordies took over two years ago. A disappointment for the flock of Magpies heading south for what has become a tradition, when we have ascended en-masse on the famous plaza.

No issues were reported by the police with 50,000 Geordies in the capital in 2023 despite the party atmosphere, Newcastle fans even cleaning up after themselves with a group collecting any rubbish in a tidy-up operation in the aftermath. 

Trafalgar change won’t stop the Toon Army

With just over five weeks until the game against Liverpool on Sunday, March 16 fans are already discussing online where to meet on the Saturday to get the party started in The Big Smoke.

Hyde Park has been suggested as a potential home for any fans making the long journey down to London with Trafalgar Square out of the question. There’s a whole city of options and, as time towards the big day narrows, there is a guarantee that an area will be decided on in due course.

The Sunday is of course the main event and the reason that black-and-white will once again dominate the nation’s biggest city, but it’s disappointing that the traditional sight of a Trafalgar Square takeover will not be the plan.