It is no secret that silverware is a scarcity in the cabinet of St James' Park and Newcastle United defender DeAndre Yedlin is well aware of how much the cup runs mean to the fans.

After the Magpies successfully conquered Birmingham City at home in their third round FA Cup replay, they move on to take on League One side Oxford United away on what is set to be a cold and wet cup tie.

Having already spent two years in England with Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland, Yedlin is well acquainted with the magic of the FA Cup.

He said: "I knew what a big tournament it was before I come to England. We can’t overlook Oxford."

A tough opportunity

If Newcastle go on to win against Oxford, it will be the first time that they have progressed to the fifth round in 11 long years.

Yedlin recognises that the Toon could do this as he said: “It’s an opportunity. Every competition you play in you want to do well so we will be looking to do well for ourselves, the club and the fans.”

However, not to discredit the opposition based on their league level, he noted that: “We’re going to their home ground and it will be a tough place to play."

"They’re a lower league team and it’s always tough in this situation. If we can play to our potential we will be all right,” the right-back continued on a more optimistic note.

Reflecting on Rotherham

United are back to their winning ways, consolidating this fact with an emphatic 4-0 victory over bottom-of-the-table Rotherham at the weekend.

The 23-year-old looked back on the performance realistically by stating: “We could have performed a bit better in the first half. But in the second half we really turned it up and the team did well. It was an all-round good team performance."

Previously, Yedlin's former coach from his Seattle Sounders days questioned if Rafa Benitez had confidence in the American yet, but after grabbing two assists against the Millers his quality is certainly showing for the Magpies.

Modestly, he commented on his recent performance: “I try to bring whatever I can to the table."

He added, on the chances he created:“Fortunately for me against Rotherham I found some good spots and picked a couple of guys out who’d made good runs into the box. They were good finishes too.”

Newcastle are top of the table now, but their title rivals are hot on their heels with the advantage of a game in hand.

Yedlin noted this as he said: “It means a lot to us and we must keep putting pressure on Brighton to get good results."

“We’re also looking to keep creating a gap between us and the third placed team which is very important,” he added.

Hailing the fans

The US international joined the club in its upturn last term, despite eventual relegation, which has allowed the defender to be fully immersed at St James' Park.

Yedlin praised this, stating: “It’s fantastic. The fans are so loyal here and that really helps us along. They’re loud and they give us momentum, which is what happened when Daryl Murphy scored."

While previously stating that the team performed better in the second half, he also gave the fans credit for taking them there: “They carried us through the second half and that’s what helped us get more goals.”