Newcastle’s Saint-Maximin not worried about cup foes

Allan Saint-Maximin insists Newcastle do not care who they draw in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals as they attempt to end their lengthy trophy drought.

The Magpies last collected domestic silverware in 1955, but having signalled their intention to attempt address that situation in this season’s cup competitions, took a step closer to doing so with a hard-fought 1-0 fourth-round victory over Premier League rivals Bournemouth on Tuesday evening.

That ensured their place in the hat for Thursday night’s last-eight draw with head coach Eddie Howe hoping for another home tie, but Frenchman Saint-Maximin is not too concerned about the identity of the opposition.

He said: “We don’t care, we only look at us. We are going to do everything we can to play against anybody and we just need to focus on ourselves and go game by game.

“If we do that, we will win as many games as possible.”

After a period under previous owner Mike Ashley during which the club’s hierarchy made it clear that cup success was not a priority, the cash invested by the current Saudi-backed regime has helped Howe to build a squad capable of fighting not only for mere top-flight survival – they currently sit third in the table – but also of mounting a genuine tilt at the League and FA Cups.

It is a measure of the Magpies’ ambition that all five of their World Cup contingent – Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Bruno Guimaraes and Callum Wilson – were named in the starting line-up for the club’s first competitive fixture since November 12.

They enjoyed much the better of the game despite not reaching the heights which had taken them to six successive wins and 11 matches unbeaten before the break, but ultimately had to rely upon Adam Smith’s 67th-minute own goal and a late save by Pope from Dominic Solanke to progress.

Asked if they could lift the trophy, Saint-Maximin, who was used only as a substitute as Howe continued to manage his return from injury, said: “For that, we always need luck, and we need to play very well.

“Let’s see what happens next.”

Cherries boss Gary O’Neil was able to take positives from a committed performance from a squad which had been shorn of the services of Jefferson Lerma and Marcus Tavernier after a virus swept through the camp.

O’Neil said: “You come to Newcastle and they’re a strong attacking team, have fantastic players, have threats. They’re obviously well organised, have a good manager, have a real set style in the way they play.

“To keep them at bay as we did for most parts… Obviously they had some chances, but I don’t ever remember feeling like they were smashing the door down, so organisation-wise, commitment-wise, fantastic.

“We need to try to be more clinical, maybe create a few more chances and make sure we take one or two.”