Newcastle have golden opportunity to dish out revenge for Brentford horror show in previous low

Revenge is a dish best served cold, so they say.

Well, Newcastle have the chance to serve up a plate that has been frozen for over 14 months when they take on Brentford today.

On December 22, 2020, Steve Bruce led his black-and-white troops into West London on a numb winter night carrying the hopes of every football fan on Tyneside, with the city desperate to see its club end a 65-year trophy drought.

The job at hand seemed simple: victory against a Championship outfit - albeit a high-flying one - and Newcastle would book themselves a place in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup.

Better still, that year's competition would have a one-legged semi-final due to the congested fixture list caused by coronavirus - meaning Newcastle were just two wins away from glory should they brush aside lower-league opposition.

However, what unfolded was a horror show that left Magpies fans feeling as low as they ever had done during Mike Ashley’s regime.

Josh Dasilva's second-half strike stunned the visitors to send Brentford into a semi-final for the first time in their 131-year history. A night that was supposed to end in celebration quickly turned into a catastrophe because, once again, Newcastle had been knocked out of the cup in humiliating fashion.

If there were murmurs among Newcastle supporters about wanting Bruce sacked before this game - the feeling was certainly unanimous after it.

Fast forward to the present day and the cloud of apathy that haunted St James’ Park has been lifted following the £300million Saudi-backed takeover.

Bruce is long gone, with Eddie Howe’s resurgent Magpies handed the opportunity to inflict some misery of their own on Thomas Frank’s side.

A win against the Bees would be a landmark moment in the Premier