NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Thousands of fans turned out in Newcastle on Saturday for a mass celebration of the team’s English League Cup triumph this month.
It was estimated that more than 150,000 joined the party as Newcastle held an open-top bus parade through the streets of the city.
Eddie Howe's team ended the Premier League club's 70-year wait for a domestic trophy after beating Liverpool 2-1 in the Wembley final. But supporters had another wait for the official celebration, almost two weeks later.
The parade route ran from St James’ Park, through the city center and ended at the Town Moor, an open space where a stage was erected for an hour-long event that included a trophy lift.
Television presenters and Newcastle fans Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly joined the team on the open top bus.
The pair are best known for presenting U.K. talent show “Britain’s Got Talent” and reality series “I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!”
Saudi-backed Newcastle's League Cup triumph was its first major domestic trophy since the 1955 FA Cup. The club also won the now-defunct Inter-Cities Fairs Cup — a European competition — in 1969.
Newcastle manager Howe has been nominated for a municipal honor called the “ Freedom of the City. ” Club figures who have received the recognition include Alan Shearer, Bobby Robson and Shaka Hislop.
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The Associated Press
