PAUL DUMMETT would love to have had fruitful afternoons in the FA Cup as a locally produced Newcastle United player – given he had never won a game in the competition in his five years with the first team until earlier this month.

Now he would love that to be the start of a change in fortunes, even if it means the Magpies having to spring a huge surprise by defeating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tomorrow in the fourth round.

Dummett is not about to rule it out. Nor should he, given the way he has often bounced back in adversity when things have not gone his way – now he is regarded as an essential member of the squad by Rafael Benitez.

There was a time when he didn’t even feel he would reach the stage where he would appear for his hometown club, despite the fact he had progressed through the age groups from the age of eight.

There was another time when Alan Pardew, who later handed him a new contract, told him he did not have the ability to be a success story at St James’ Park. Those two moments earlier in his career could have destroyed him.

“I don’t think you ever really believe you will be a pro until it actually happens,” said Dummett. “Going through the ages, once I got to 15 or 16 I thought I was going to be released. It’s the impression you get from coaches but I was never one of the main players in the team.

“There were always players talked about more than me, like James Tavernier was one, he is at Rangers now. Brad Inman was one. Phil Airey got a lot of headlines. I think he’s not playing anymore.

“I sat down with my family, my dad, he had heard other players were going to get released and I felt I maybe would too. I had to keep going, believing and I went out on loan to St Mirren and even then I thought I would get released after that.

“I thought I would be playing football for someone else and not Newcastle. I got another one year contract, I stayed and two games into the season against Liverpool I found out I was getting another contract. That totally changed my life and my career.

“I got told I wasn’t good enough by Pardew as well, so I told him I had to prove him wrong. He knew then my attitude was right. I had gone out on loan and kept going. He was the one who ultimately gave me the chance in the Premier League.”

Pardew might have almost missed a trick at that stage, although in fairness to the now West Brom boss he started to rely on the defender heavily and Dummett’s Newcastle career got lift-off.

Dummett said: “I don’t know (if he did it to wind him up) because he said it to other players too who didn’t make it. You have to go out and prove you’re are good enough at the time and take your chance when you get it.

“I was a bit concerned at the time. In my head I knew that I just wanted the best chance I could and if it wasn’t at Newcastle, I just hoped it was somewhere else.”

That message arrived in the same season he made his debut; an FA Cup tie at Brighton when Pardew was widely criticised for fielding a weakened team in January 2013 and the Championship side progressed at the Premier League club’s expense.

That first team debut was sandwiched in between two loan spells at St Mirren. Since then his appearances in the FA Cup didn’t get much better; with a defeat to Leicester in 2014 followed by another in 2016 to Watford.

After finally enjoying a victory, albeit over League Two side Luton earlier this month, Dummett is hoping that marked the start of a change in fortunes because he would love to be part of a Newcastle team that actually ended the long 63-year wait for domestic silverware.

The Newcastle-born 26-year-old, who has made more than 100 appearances for the club and knowing Newcastle not reached the fifth round since 2006, said: “You never know why there has been such a poor record, those years are gone now.

“The focus is on the game on Sunday. We have had bad runs in the past but it is up to us to make sure we don’t have those bad runs now.

“No matter what competition it is in, whether it is the League Cup, the FA Cup or League, we want to go into every game and win. We have not had a good run in cups but we have to perform our best to get through to the next round.

“I definitely feel added pressure because my family are Newcastle fans and I am surrounded by Newcastle fans wherever I go because my friends are too. It’s different for me compared to some lads who are here but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

“I guess it is harder for me because I can never get away from the fact I am from Newcastle and I play for the club. The pressure is on me really. But I would love to be part of a good cup run with this club.”