The 30-year-old England goalkeeper had never reached a final as a professional before doing so with Tuesday night's victory over Southampton, with a League Two play-off semi-final defeat while on loan at York during the 2013/14 campaign the closest he had previously come. Indeed, his experience of cup football had been less than enjoyable until the run which has left the Magpies just one game away from ending a wait for silverware which dates back to the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Newcastle's lack of recent success in well-documented - they have not lifted a major domestic trophy since the 1955 FA Cup and their last final appearance came in the same competition in 1999.
A look at how some of the top-flight teams tackled the January sales.
The Magpies were deep in relegation trouble when the new owners completed their takeover.