Sunderland vs Newcastle is a game we all fear and dread in equal measure. Games against that lot from up the road are rarely dull, and the last nine years saw us drop to our lowest point.
We’ve gone from
losing at Bolton and Cheltenham to tussling with the best in the country every week.
We’ve surpassed lots of expectations and throughout the summer, we had fans of those up the A19 saying we’d get hammered and go straight back down; then, after a few wins, it was ‘You haven’t played anyone yet”, before they went very quiet after we picked up five points from games against Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.
Our last game against them was the awful FA Cup tie, with a squad that finished sixteenth in the Championship, yet things have changed so much in a short space of time and everything about us is that of a well-run, smooth-operating football club brimming with talent and professionalism.
During the weekend we got promoted, I was on a stag do in Newcastle.
On the morning of what was a Newcastle matchday, I was on the Metro heading into the city and I overheard lots of Newcastle fans chatting about football. They weren’t talking about their upcoming game and how they could seal Champions League football — they were talking about Sunderland.
They like to pretend that they don’t care about Sunderland, but this is so far from the truth. They love having us back more than they care to admit. Honestly? This is how it should be.
We’ve been the butt of many a joke over the years but we’ve still been on their minds. After years away from the top flight, there’s still a fear that we can add to with a performance on Sunday.
The rivalry is known across the country and as we’re less than twenty four hours out, I’m starting to feel unwell with the nerves.
Re-runs of derby games over the years have been shown throughout the week, so as we head towards Sunday, don’t forget how Newcastle fans made you feel during the League One and Championship years; how they were first to appear in the social media comments when we lost and why most away games would feature someone sitting in the home end in a black and white shirt.
Don’t forget how, for years, they took the piss out of our club and its fans — because unfortunately, our club made it easy for them to.
Sunday is a chance to get in their faces and make their trip to Wearside an absolute nightmare — and we’ve got eleven lads out on the pitch who’ll give their absolute all against the team we love to hate the most.
Some Newcastle fans say that the derby isn’t even their biggest game this week, yet any fan who says this and believes it has either only been on board since they sold their souls three years ago, or is too young to have experienced a derby.
It’s huge for us both and it’s fantastic to have the eyes of the footballing world back on the region after far too long. The result won’t define our season but my God, a win would be the biggest indication yet that Sunderland AFC is back in business; back where we belong.
The jokes and banter are almost over, and a match nearly a decade in the making is almost upon us. Sunday is going to be a thrilling and terrifying day, and I’m counting down the hours to kick off with a level of excitement and stress that’s off the scale.
