‘Howay the Whites’ is likely to echo from the away end at the Stadium Of Light tomorrow when Fulham take on Sunderland in the FA Cup.
Clamouring for tickets and honorary membership of the Fulham section are both families and friends of Shaun Hutchinson and Dan Burn.
The pair, both from the North East, will have their very own fan clubs hoping to spring a Cup shock.
Hutchinson admitted there was an extra thrill to the fourth round draw when he knew the Whites would be headed homewards - his - if they beat Wolves in the third round replay.
He said: “I’m originally from Gosforth, and I was a Newcastle fan.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t sit up a little bit when I saw the draw. It’s a bit surreal playing against your local rivals. I’m looking forward to it, and a big demand for tickets and there will be a lot of Geordies singing in the away sections.
Big Dan’s going to have a few there as well. Amazing if we could go up there and get a result.”
Boss Kit Symons is likely to be without captain Scott Parker, but is eager to find out how Ross McCormack measures up to the elite.
The £11m forward has yet to taste regular Premier League football, and a head to head with the likes of ex-QPR target Jermain Defoe will give his manager food for thought.
Symons added: “They’ve got some good players - but so have we. At times we have shown Premier League quality, although usually in one half or the other.
“So it will be good to match that against a Premier League side and see how good our quality is.
“Someone like a Ross has never played in the Premier League - but has Premier League quality. I’ll be interested to see how that one pans out.
“We’ll be considerable underdogs - but I’m happy with that. Jermain Defoe? There’s one with Premier League quality and they’ve got a lot of it, but if you focus on one person or one area you usually get undone in another.
“For us to get something out of the tie, we’ve got to put in a good all round performance.”
