[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Like a disgraced Royal being hurriedly ushered away for an impromptu "period of reflection" somewhere in the nether regions of Windsor Castle, the glory days of the FA Cup feel an eternity ago as the fifth round is relegated for the first time to a floodlit midweek berth, stripped of replays. Nevertheless, any competition that Albion have a remote chance of winning is still alright by me, and having limped our way to the last sixteen in 2016 and 2018 only to surrender meekly on both occasions, this is the first time in half a decade that it's genuinely felt as if Albion have a good thing going in the FA Cup. A place in the quarter-finals will be the reward if only we can see off Tuesday night's visitors, Newcastle United.

Having already breezed past West Ham in the previous round, another Premier League opponent in iffy form should be no cause for alarm at the Hawthorns. At the time of writing, the Magpies have won just one league match since Christmas, and only scraped through the previous rounds against lower league sides with the aid of a replay (which, of course, is no longer an option). Defensive frailties have been their undoing time and again, while goals are as hard to find as an honest statement from Mike Ashley. The greatest concern for Albion, in fact, is how seriously the respective managers choose to take this match, as Bilic will undoubtedly view promotion as the number one priority, while Steve Bruce - currently cushioned from relegation by some seven points - may view a successful cup-run as the best chance of saving his job.

I do hope we can give this cup tie our full attention, not least because promotion is increasingly looking a prospect of "when" rather than "if". Our last FA Cup encounter with Newcastle happened ten years ago, during our last promotion campaign under Roberto Di Matteo, and ended in a convincing 4-2 win for the Baggies; an excellent omen for Tuesday night, if only we're prepared to keep this ball rolling.