Much-changed Newcastle dumped out of FA Cup by third-tier Sheffield Wednesday

SHEFFIELD: Even having club soccer’s richest owners cannot improve Newcastle's pitiful record in the FA Cup. Newcastle were humbled by a lower-league opponent in the third round of the famous old competition for the second straight year, losing at third-tier Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 on Saturday. At the same stage last year, Newcastle were beaten at home by another third-tier club, Cambridge United.

Yet the northeast team were still in the early days of the new era then. Now, they are a rising force in the Premier League, in third place and fighting to reach the Champions League. Two other Premier League teams — Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth — were beaten by lower-league opposition in Blackpool and Burnley, respectively, on Saturday.

But neither represented major shocks, given they fielded weakened lineups because top-flight survival is their priority. Newcastle’s elimination was a big surprise, with Josh Windass scoring for Sheffield Wednesday in the 52nd and 65th minutes before Bruno Guimaraes pulled one back in the 69th. Newcastle have advanced beyond the fourth round of the FA Cup only once since 2006 — in the 2019-20 season.