ST JAMES’ PARK, March 2013, and Papiss Cisse is powering home the header that earned Newcastle United a 1-0 win over Anzhi Makhachkala and took them to the Europa League quarter-finals. After the ball hit the net, he wheeled away to celebrate directly in front of a 15-year-old ball-boy who had been selected from one of Tyneside’s local clubs.

One month later, and that same ball-boy was back at St James’ again, patrolling the touchline as Newcastle failed to overturn a first-leg deficit against their quarter-final opponents, Benfica.

Fast forward a decade, and that fresh-faced youngster is now 25. He will be at Wembley tomorrow, as Newcastle take on Manchester United in their first major final for more than two decades, but instead of watching on from the periphery, he will find himself at the heart of the action. His name? Sean Longstaff. His story? Proof that childhood dreams really can come true.

“When you are in the moment, you don’t think of it,” said Longstaff, who was born and raised in North Shields. “But when you sit back and look back at all the players you played with growing up, where they are now, where they are playing, I am the one who has gone on to play for Newcastle. I’m proud of that.

“I remember those times as a ball-boy. We did the Anzhi game first. When Cisse scored and ran to the corner, he sort of ran in front of me and I’d never heard an atmosphere like it. It gave me a little extra motivation to maybe one day be in that situation.

“For the Benfica game, as a young lad when I played FIFA, one of my teams was basically a Portuguese league team, so I was watching the Benfica team warm up. I never thought one day I’d go on and play like I did against them in pre-season. It’s funny how life works out.”

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Along with Dan Burn, Longstaff is one of Newcastle’s two hometown heroes that are set to start at Wembley tomorrow. In their own ways, both have had to deal with considerable ups and downs before arriving at the current point of their respective careers.

Unlike Burn, Longstaff did not have to slog his way through the non-league scene before making it as a professional, but while he burst into Newcastle’s first team with a considerable fanfare under Rafael Benitez, it was not long before the harsher side of footballing reality caught up with him.

With a mooted £50m offer from Manchester United having failed to materialise, Longstaff found himself battling against injury and out of the team under Steve Bruce. They were difficult times, and for all that he will always be in love with Newcastle, the boyhood black-and-white admits there were moments where he wondered if moving away might have been the only way to kickstart his career.

“It was a difficult period, but more because I was trying to come back from an injury,” said Longstaff. “Obviously, Rafa was here at the time, I was close with him, but then he left and the new manager in. It was a race to be fit, I wasn't really fully fit, but I felt I had to play to show the new manager.

“It was just bad timing with everything. I had only played nine games, I had played at Blackpool (on loan), and now your name is being mentioned (with a move). Everyone wanted to speak to me about it.

“In my head, I just thought, ‘I can't even bend my knee’. It was a weird time. It happened at 20-21 and I came through it. Everything happens for a reason. If you’d said then, I was going to stay and play in a cup final for Newcastle United, I’d have snapped your hand off. I am really happy with how it has turned out.”

Longstaff attributes much of the credit for that transformation to Eddie Howe, a head coach who believes in him and has backed his judgement to the extent that he allowed Jonjo Shelvey to leave last month despite the lack of a central-midfield replacement.

“It’s funny how football can play out sometimes,” said Longstaff, who is expected to form a midfield three with Bruno Guimaraes and Joe Willock tomorrow, provided the latter is passed fit to play. “I was on the outside looking in a little bit, and now it has all changed very quickly.

“A lot of that is down to the manager. Since the first day he walked in, I have really taken to him and his staff. He has probably saved my Newcastle career and for that, I will be forever grateful to him.

“I think me and the rest of the squad are now looking to repay him with performances and hopefully, that can start on Sunday with a cup final win. If it happens, we will be remembered forever.”