Joe Willock of Newcastle United
Joe Willock of Newcastle United (Image: Newcastle United via Getty Image)
Joe Willock walked around the hallowed Wembley turf after Newcastle United's 2-0 defeat against Manchester United last time out and then stood still and gazed into the sea of black and white behind the goal.
Despite the defeat, the large majority of fans had stayed behind to applaud the Magpies even though it hadn't been their day beneath the famous Wembley arch. This time Willock is praying things can be different and while he has endured a stop-start season himself, the former Arsenal youngster sees the clash against Liverpool as another opportunity.
It won't be easy, but for Willock he feels that the Magpies have earned their chance to finally end Newcastle's 70-year domestic trophy drought with a Carabao Cup final win.
Looking back on his moment at Wembley, Willock said: "It gave me goosebumps to be fair. We all want to win silverware for this club.
"When I was leaving the hotel and I saw all our fans at Wembley that day I was emotional. You could see and hear them, it gave me goosebumps. And the rest of the players as well."
Beating the Gunners was a big moment for Newcastle but not least Willock who was able to soak up 10 minutes of the second leg victory against Mikel Arteta's men. Willock had left Arsenal for Newcastle in 2021 but has now been to two major finals with the Magpies.
Willock's affection for the Gunners is understandable given he made his debut for Arsenal as an 18-year-old under Arsene Wenger in the EFL Cup away to Doncaster. He had been on Arsenal's books since he was just four years old.
However, he admits it was a high to knock his old club out of the tournament this season.
He said: "It was amazing, when we started that competition it was a goal. We want to win every game and compete in every competition. We’re delighted we are going to Wembley, we have tried to park it because we have had some big games."
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The trip to Wembley comes at a time in which Willock is desperately trying to nail his place down in Eddie Howe's team. It has been a tough battle for the former England Under-21 star.
Getting a coveted slot alongside Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes has been tough and this season it has been increasingly more difficult because Sandro Tonali is back from a 10-month global ban. The midfielder knows that he simply has to keep his head down and continue the hard work that has got him through a host of injuries.
The Waltham Forest-born star said: "I think I just need to keep focusing on myself, you know. It’s been hard for me, this season. I’m delighted for the team. As a player, you want to play. Hopefully, I can get back to the best version of myself."
If Willock manages to get that balance right at Wembley this season, it would be a dream come true. It was the midfielder who scored the club's first goal in this season's competition after just 18 seconds against Nottingham Forest in round two.
How Willock would love to be the player that scores the last of this season's Carabao Cup goals, preferably the winner.
He said: "There has been a few times when I’ve come off the bench I’ve snatched at it and I thought: ‘This is my time to win the game.’ We are building momentum, and we want to continue doing so. We want to win at every ground in every circumstance."