The party's not over yet' - inside Newcastle's celebrations, with Alan Shearer - Voice of Asia

After the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, I don't even remember when I left Wembley, it was such an unforgettable night. Along with my son Will and daughter Chloe, I went straight from the stadium to Boxpark on Wembley Way to party, celebrating with Newcastle players and hundreds of fans.

Champagne and beer flowed freely for everyone; it was a wonderful night that no one wanted to end. Nobody wanted to go home, and for once, I didn't mind the feeling of waking up with a hangover the next day. Everyone was in high spirits, and seeing Newcastle finally win a major trophy and the reaction that followed still excites me now.

I got goalkeeper Mark Gillespie's winner's medal, and the team brought the trophy home, but the most special thing was the feeling, because it was something many of us had never experienced before. Perhaps some older people experienced this when Newcastle won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969, but I'm 54 this year, and anyone younger than me hasn't experienced a moment like this. It's a completely new experience, fantastic, and it's not over yet.

I'll be buzzing for days because I haven't finished celebrating yet - it's international break, so I have a few days off work. My party will continue - just like in Newcastle. Football is life for everyone there, and depending on the results each weekend, you might have a good week or a bad week. This victory means everyone will have a very good few weeks - Newcastle doesn't play again until April 2nd, which means they can celebrate even harder and longer, which is only right because they've waited so long for it.

My phone hasn't stopped ringing in the last few hours, but it's all good news. I much prefer people texting me to congratulate me than everyone saying "bad luck" like they did after the 2023 Carabao Cup final when they lost to Manchester United. I waited a long time to see Newcastle win something, but when the final whistle blew against Liverpool and the game was won, I still didn't know what to do or how to react. I was immersed in the moment, and even while doing it, I still didn't know what I was doing. I was so excited, it was fantastic.

Being able to experience this moment with my family and friends, immersing myself in the occasion, and feeling this absolutely incredible atmosphere - and of course, enjoying the result - was just fantastic. No matter what happens in the future, no one can take that day away from me, us, or Newcastle. When people look back on this game, they will think of the celebrations - I know I will - because this club has been craving success for so many years. Those fans have been to Wembley many times, but always ended in defeat, and so have I. I was there as a fan two years ago, and I was also there as a player and tasted defeat in the 1998 and 1999 FA Cup finals.

This time was different, and I loved it. I can tell you from experience that Wembley is only a good place when you win - when you lose, it's not a good place to be, but we've experienced that, which made Sunday's victory even sweeter. Newcastle dominated the final, with only the last four minutes of added time being agonizing. It was never going to be easy, given who their opponents were, but even when Newcastle were under some pressure, they dealt with it well. They protected the ball at corners and wasted some time - all those things. They were calm and composed - unlike those of us in the stands - and they got the job done. Let's face it, Newcastle should have won at Wembley a long time ago, and finally, it was our turn - Liverpool will win the Premier League, so they can have that, but this cup is ours!

Some of the fans around me were in tears at the end of the game, and I did get a little emotional myself. My father, Alan, passed away last year, and I thought about him a little when the final whistle blew. That's probably why I got emotional, because he was a lifelong Newcastle fan. I'm sure he would have been looking down on us with a big smile and drinking his pint of beer. He would have loved it all. We all ended up having a few pints, and some of the Newcastle players joined us, and they deserve all the credit. They've etched their names into the club's history, and let's hope there's more success to come.

What happens next? First of all, I hope to see Dan Burn make his England debut this week, and maybe he can score at Wembley for his country and his club too. When I spoke to him on Sunday night, I forgot he was in the England squad, and I said "you might as well retire, mate, because it doesn't get any better than this". He said "well, you never know... something might happen on Friday", and he was right. That's actually the story of his career, because he's worked hard to get where he is today and have a moment like this for the first time at the age of 32. To be called up to the England squad and then score at Wembley for Newcastle to win a cup, it's simply a dream come true for him. As I may have mentioned on social media on Sunday night, he's from Blyth, he's a Geordie hero. You know what, if anyone deserves it, it's him, because he's a fantastic lad.

This is his moment, just like it's every Newcastle player's moment. I'm not jealous of them at all, because I retired 19 years ago, and I'm a fan just like everyone else now. I want Newcastle to win trophies because I'm from there and it's my club. I'm so happy for all the lads, and I told some of them on Sunday night that I couldn't be any happier or prouder of them. They've made my city proud, and that's what I wanted.

I didn't speak to Newcastle manager Eddie Howe at the party. I just sent him a text message saying "congratulations, have a great night and a great few days, whatever you're doing". Eddie deserves all the praise he's getting, because he's been incredible for Newcastle. Firstly, when you consider where they are now compared to when he took over in November 2021 - 19th in the Premier League after 11 games and five points adrift of safety - and now he's won the club's long-awaited first trophy.

He's now become a Newcastle legend, and he'll always be a legend in the eyes of the Geordie public, and rightly so. His achievements also deserve wider praise. In the Premier League era, British coaches haven't won too much in our game - before Sunday, Harry Redknapp was the last one to win a trophy, the FA Cup in 2008. Now at the top of our game, we have these mega-clubs that spend huge amounts of money and demand success - they have to win trophies. Newcastle is one of them, but in less than four years, they've had to go from a team fighting relegation to a team fighting at the top for trophies, while also complying with the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules.

Their spending has been limited in the last three transfer windows, but Eddie has dealt with all of that. It highlights the outstanding job he's done. There's an argument to be made that he's the greatest British coach of the last 30 years. Even if you're just talking about who's managed Newcastle in that time, people look back at Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson and consider them to be two greats of the game, but Eddie has surpassed both of them in terms of what he's achieved at St James' Park. Kevin and Sir Bobby were both fantastic for the club and both brought something different, but they didn't bring a trophy. That's what Newcastle fans have been craving, and now Eddie has delivered.

Of course, now we want more of the same. I look back at what happened after Chelsea won their first trophy under Jose Mourinho, the League Cup in 2005, and when Manchester City ended their long trophy wait after winning the FA Cup in 2011. Obviously, there are no guarantees, and we don't know what will happen next, but I really hope this is just the start of something very special for Newcastle in the years to come, and that this trophy is just the first of many.