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Ramsdale saved three penalties in the Magpies’ shootout victory over Bournemouth in the FA Cup third round at St James’ Park.
It was another game to test the patience and blood pressure of Newcastle fans. Only days earlier, they witnessed their side snatch victory in a seven-goal thriller against Leeds United in the 12th minute of stoppage time.
Aaron Ramsdale hails Newcastle United 'Goalkeeping Union'
Victory is welcome, especially as it required another late rescue mission, with Anthony Gordon’s late penalty forcing extra time after a hectic second half, but it came at a cost. Newcastle face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday and will now do so with tired legs and minds. Tino Livramento is also out after picking up a hamstring injury.
With every passing game, Newcastle’s soft centre becomes more and more worrisome. Yet they are still in both domestic cup competitions, remain in control of their Champions League destiny and sit sixth in the Premier League. Ramsdale says the team “sticks together” and the fans drive them on.
"We never say die”, he said after the game. “It's four wins on the bounce, late goals. We've done a completely new way today of going to penalties. It probably would have been nice to have got it done in the 90 minutes with the game on Tuesday, but again, it just shows we all stick together. We dig each other out in tough times.
"The crowd at this stadium, when we need it, is phenomenal and that's shown again as well as in the week."
Eddie Howe admitted he had mixed emotions after progressing. Newcastle have not had a midweek free since August and face 10 games in the next 34 days; going all the way was the last thing they needed.
“The one thing we didn't want was extra time, we were well aware of that before the game, but we're 2-1 down with a couple of minutes left, so at that moment, we wanted extra time, we wanted to stay in the competition,” Howe said.
“We knew as soon as we scored that goal that it was going to be an extra burden on the players. Some players, we didn't want them to go through that – Sven Botman would be one, Malick Thiaw, we didn't want them to go through the 30 minutes, Sandro Tonali was having cramp issues, so that's why I say there's a cost for us going through today.
“But at least we did go through, at least there's a positive to come from it, and now I need to think long and hard about the team for Tuesday night."
Manchester City represents the latest huge occasion in Newcastle’s modern history as they look to defend their Carabao Cup trophy. Despite making the headlines, Ramsdale is far from guaranteed to keep his place with Nick Pope fighting to play, though he has played in all domestic cup matches this season.
Whatever happens, he insists there is no rivalry with Pope or any goalkeeper at Newcastle. He understands the competition and is enjoying working with his England team-mate and John Ruddy.
"[It is the] best ever [goalkeeper’s group],” he added. “The amount of quality, age and experience in the group [is impressive]. Big Fraser Forster [former Newcastle and Celtic goalkeeper] has just signed for Bournemouth and as we were walking out, he said, ‘What a group you've got’. He knows me, Popey and John.
"We spend a lot of time together on the training pitch, off the training pitch. Everyone's there for each other.
"Popey was making sure at the end there I had whatever I needed. And you will never understand what a goalkeeper goes through unless you're a goalie.
"People say that you can't be happy for another goalie but you actually can. We made the decision to do this when we were eight, nine years old and we all knew what the situation was. The Goalkeeper Union at this place is strong.
But now Ramsdale hopes he has made strides at Newcastle, a place he says he is “in love with”. With so much football still to be played, he could have many more opportunities to secure a permanent move to Tyneside.
"I knew the situation coming in,” he said. “I had a fight on my hands with Nick. There were no promises that I would even get in the team. Obviously, with Nick having a little injury it brought me to the forefront.
"Now there's some little sort of indent in club’s history. It's not a massive one, it's only the third round of the FA Cup, but I've helped the team in this instance to get through and I look forward to more days like this, hopefully, for me at this football club in the future as well.
"I fell in love with it before I even signed. Playing up here, the atmosphere, My personality with the fans allows me to be myself and allows me to have the energy and attitude I have. So I didn't need to play or experience it - I already felt it.”
It was another pulsating afternoon, so typical of Newcastle this season. Now they walk, battered and bruised, into another big game, and they’ll just keep coming. If they are to compete on all fronts, they need to find easier ways to win.
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