Newcastle's Dan Burn hails coach who 'turned him into footballer'

But there's one in particular to whom Burn is particularly grateful.

"I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for Craig Liddle," says the Newcastle United defender.

By here, he means living out his dream at his boyhood club, preparing to walk out at Wembley in black and white and try to help the Magpies end their long, long wait for silverware.

But without Liddle, there'd be no Carabao Cup final for Burn on Sunday. In fact, in all likelihood, there wouldn't have been a professional career at all for the towering Geordie.

Burn was playing football for fun and working at Asda when he was given his big break by Liddle and Darlington when he was 16. And what followed, down the line, was a crucial conversation with Liddle when Burn was at a crossroads in his career.

"I can't give him enough praise for what he's done for me," says Burn.

"I went from working at Asda on a Saturday and playing local with my mates on a Sunday, to three months later I was on the bench in League Two for Darlington.

"He changed me from a lad who just liked playing football into a footballer. I remember when it was coming upto the time when it was decided whether I was going to be offered a pro deal. I'd been offered a scholarship in America so I spoke to Lids and said, not as a manager but as a friend, I've been given this opportunity, what should I do?

"He said he thought I should sign the pro because he thought I could make a career. I'm always thankful to him for that and appreciate everything he's done."

Liddle is now academy manager at Middlesbrough and the pair remain in touch to this day.

"I saw him a few weeks ago, we played a friendly just before Christmas. It was an opportunity to say thanks," says Burn.

"I text him every so often. It tended to be when we'd play Middlesbrough because he's back there now. Ben, his son, is at Darlington. He used to come and have a kick-about when I was in the youth team.

"He's always someone where if I felt I needed to speak about anything football wise that I could ring him."

Craig Liddle pictured during his time at Darlington

Liddle will have presumably taken plenty of calls from Burn over the years, then, because the defender has been on quite the ride. He's mastered the art of proving people wrong and recovering from setbacks, the first of which came on Christmas Eve when he was just 11-years-old and found out he'd no longer be training with Newcastle United development team.

"I got a letter to say I wouldn't be getting invited back. When I was training with Newcastle, that was it, I was going to be the best Newcastle player ever and beat Shearer to his record. When you're young and naive you just think you've made it," he says

"It knocked me when I was a kid. You go to school and everyone hears you're not training with Newcastle anymore, and it affects you. But I've had a lot of these moments in my career, I've had quite a rollercoaster and it feels like it helps push me on to know that people doubt you and you can prove them wrong."

From the past to the present and a domestic cup final playing for the club he grew up supporting as a boy. Did he believe when he joined Newcastle last year that he'd be playing at Wembley in a final just 12 months down the line?

"No, definitely not," he admits.

"We always knew we'd get there at some point. We had confidence knowing we'd get there, but never the trajectory we've managed to do it in. We've definitely over-achieved this season, nobody would have expected us to be sitting fifth in the league and in a league cup final come February, but I think we deserve to be where we are."

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The main message from Burn this week has been the importance of the mindset ahead of Sunday's final. Newcastle aren't going to Wembley for a day out, they're going to make history.

The players are always learning. They recently picked the brains of special training ground guests Nobby Solano and Steve Harmison. A podcast featuring rugby league legend Sam Tomkins was the topic of conversation in one meeting earlier this week.

"It's about us taking little bits of what they've said and apply it to the way we work," says Burn.

The defender knows what Sunday means to the club and the city and there's a strong Geordie spirit in the dressing room.

He says: "You have to understand the passion from the city and the fans and we'll get that across to the lads. Not that they need reminding, we have a very good group here and they understand what it means to the city. Lads who aren't from Newcastle or from this country, they won't be short of lads telling them what it means.

"It's just a case of understanding how big a game it is for Newcastle but not letting that affect your mentality or emotions.

"When I was a kid coming to watch it was Champions League. I was seeing local lads like Shearer, Steve Harper and other players who were trying to inspire the next generation. If we can have that influence on other local lads in the area, that can only be a good thing."