Soccer-Newcastle celebrate end of 70-year trophy drought in sea of black and white

NEWCASTLE, England (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Newcastle United fans gathered in the city on Saturday to celebrate the club's first domestic trophy in 70 years, with the streets turning a sea of black and white for the open-top bus parade.

About 150,000 people were expected to catch a glimpse of the League Cup that Newcastle lifted on March 16, after a 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the final at Wembley Stadium.

For manager Eddie Howe, Saturday's event was an emotional moment as the city honoured him with a massive banner, unfurled outside St James' Park.

"I can't thank everyone enough, from Newcastle, the way they've embraced me and my family and I'm glad to have given them some joy," he said atop the bus that carried the team around the city.

As the bus and crowd approached the Town Moor site, white smoke blanketed the area as the crowd sang Hey Jude, replacing 'Jude' with 'Geordies', and ABBA music was played over the speakers for a party expected to last long into the night.

(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)