Andy Woodman admits that only the magic of the FA Cup could have handed him a chance he has been praying for since leaving the club 10 years ago.

The former goalkeeping coach, now manager of Bromley, has hauled the Hayes Lane club up the non-league pyramid and into the EFL. But now he has been handed his dream away trip for a tie that only the English showpiece could deliver.

Woodman dreamt that it could happen just moments after knocking out Solihull Moors out of the competition in round two. That's because Alan Pardew's former assistant did not get the chance to say goodbye to fans when he left St James' Park in 2015, departing during pre-season after claiming that "oil and water can't mix" when walking away from Steve McClaren's backroom team to hook up with the Londoner again at Crystal Palace.

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There was no real opportunity to say goodbye after his sudden departure but a decade on, Woodman will be likely to get a warm reception back at St James' Park.

Woodman told Chronicle Live: "It will go one way or another there will be a round of applause or they will chant: 'Get out of our club you Cockney whatever!

"It is funny, though, because whenever you leave a club, you don't get to say goodbye or thank them, but at Newcastle, I have kept in contact with everybody, and I haven't done that at many other clubs. You usually just move on in football. At Newcastle, it wasn't like that.

"I speak to Steve Harper, the coaching staff that were there and I have loads of friends up there. I go on holiday with some of our friends from Newcastle.

"But it will be nice to see some faces, like the stewards and staff, that I did not get to say goodbye to around the ground. I am really looking forward to seeing them. You can leave Newcastle, but Newcastle never leaves you."

Woodman was part of the backroom team that guided Newcastle to fifth then Europe in 2012. A run to the Europa League would follow before a respectable top 10 finish in 2014. Woodman will also have memories of another of his close pals from Newcastle on Sunday in Cheick Tiote, who sadly passed away in 2017.

The former goalkeeping coach said: "We had some amazing nights in Europe and in the Premier League. I never look back at my time at Newcastle with one bit of negativity, I really don't.

"We got to Europe, we had Papiss Cisse scoring those goals at Chelsea and we came back from 4-0 down to 4-4 thanks to Cheick Tiote, God bless his soul.

"There were some brilliant times. There are some results I'd like to erase from my head but overall it was a fantastic experience and a fantastic club. I say that genuinely. I don't say it to butter anybody up, I have always had an affection for it and it was a sad day when it ended."

Woodman was nicknamed "goalkeeping guru" by staff and pals during his time at Newcastle. Not least because he was forced to manage a number of goalie injury nightmares during his stint at St James' Park.

Woodman said: "I was really proud to work with Tim Krul, Steve Harper, Fraser Forster, Harps was a a big friend of mine, he had a tricky part of his career coming to the end. So that was good. I have that friendship with Steve now.

"I was proud of Tim's development and how well he played there. He went on to become the number 1 for the national team with Holland which he set out to do when I turned up. Fraser went on to have a brilliant career. I always maintain though that my best thing I done for Newcastle."

However, after persuading Pardew to spend £200,000 on Rob Elliot in 2011, the Bromley boss would ensure the club landed a bargain. Time after time, Elliot was thrown in at the deep end and he usually served up a man of the match performance between the posts.

It would be a move that would end up saving Newcastle millions as Elliot served the Magpies for nine years and played under four different managers. Woodman told me: "I didn't want credit for it, but didn't get it anyway. But signing Rob Elliot for £200,000 who went on to be a star for Newcastle in Europe and in the Premier League.

"Imagine that in today's world. He was bought in as back-up or training keeper whatever you want to call it. But he went on to to really well, winning player of the season in 2016. I had a great time with all of them though."

Now though Woodman will bring his underdogs to St James' Park with nothing to lose. He admitted he prayed for the draw to happen!

He added: "I think I manifested it! I really wanted Newcastle though, one because of my affection for the club and the place.

"But also because I wanted my team and my staff and my football club to experience what I was lucky enough to experience for five years. It is a fantastic and well supported club and I loved my time there. We could have drawn any Premier League club and it might not have sold out.

"But at Newcastle it was guaranteed to be sold out because of the way the fans are. So there was a lot of reasons why I really wanted Newcastle but to get them was brilliant for everyone really."

Read part two of the Chronicle Live's exclusive with Woodman tomorrow when he discusses his son Freddie's rise through the ranks and his work at Bromley.