Luke O’Nien rides the rollercoaster once again
It doesn’t need to be said that O’Nien made a significant mistake in the first ten minutes and that his error led to a really soft chance being offered to Tyneside’s ‘Princess Diana’ — and to be fair to her former Royal Highness, she took the chance very well.
O’Nien tried to beat the press with a firm clearance upfield and in trying to put his foot through it, he messed up. The lad knew it straight away and tried his best for the rest of the game to make up for it — and for me he did so, with some
very important interventions to keep us in the mix.
He’s been with us during our darkest years, and cocked up yet took it on the chin in post-match interviews. Fair play — and the most important thing is that we learn during this first season back at the top level, and we certainly did so when we got back out for the second stanza.
He and Omar Alderete were imperious in the second half, and whilst a 0-2 win would’ve been lovely without that unforced error, to come back from a soft goal made the whole day even sweeter.
An immense second half display from the Lads
We did well to get into the changing rooms only one down, with the hosts hitting the post with the goalkeeper beaten later in the first half, but it has to be recognised that the step change in performance between the two halves was like night and day.
It was easily seen welcome for all Mackems both in the ground and watching from home that we weren’t having a similar forty five minutes. It was almost symbolic of the battle between good and evil — which in many ways this was a representation of.
A so-called elite team, sponsored by a very wealthy but very questionable ownership had one over on the supposed ‘small club’ from down the road after the first half — yet this supposedly inferior outfit wasn’t willing to sit back and take it any more.
Instead, they came out for the second period more hardworking, more determined, more energetic and not willing to give anything less than 100%, which was all the fans expected.
We scrapped and battled and showed that we were equal to the so called ‘richest club in the world’, and less than an hour into the tie, Chemsdine Talbi tapped in from close range after a wonder save stopped him from finding the top corner before the half hour mark.
Sunderland weather various storms after the break
It’s true that the Mags had a goal chalked off in the last twenty minutes, but there was a player both clearly offside and shoving the goalkeeper around the line — both of which were enough to deny the local Neanderthals a lead at a pivotal point in the game.
Before VAR even intervened, the referee had blown up for a foul, much to the happiness of the red and white hordes who’d navigated their way past flying bottles and all sorts of violent threats in order to get to the game.
To add further shame to the Newcastle role of dishonour, the lads in red and white had to experience unacceptable racial abuse.
Let’s be clear: Lutsharel Geertruida was one of many on the pitch who isn’t of English and/or white heritage, but he was clearly the nearest target that the rattled, naive, stupid and unacceptably bigoted fans in that part of the ground could have a pop at. It was utterly disgusting and ignoring stripes of red or black, we simply have to hope that such morons don’t get back into any football stadium again.
This is the 21st century, for goodness sake. Some people need to grow the hell up and sort out the hate they have for their fellow man — which has no place in any ground anywhere in the world in 2026.
Is Brian Brobbey the best #9 we’ve had in a while?
With no major difference between two sides in the last twenty minutes, with both teams in poor form and missing a number of their starting elevens, it almost felt like destiny that someone would have to step up to make a difference.
That difference was made with a combination of a late-appearing Enzo Le Fée and the man-mountain that had battled with the Newcastle centre backs in black and white all day — one Brian Brobbey.
After a great break, Noah Sadiki fed Le Fée, who headed for the byline and managed to slot a cut back through the legs of the Geordie defenders for Brobbey to slam his second effort past Aaron Ramsdale after his first effort was well-blocked.
The limbs in the top level were epic and the noise in my own front room with my son, my future son-in-law, and the rest of my wonderful family was ear splitting — and the ‘Til The End socks on my feet twitched with every thread of their weaved magic.
We’d done it again and although a decent portion of time was added on for injuries and other interruptions earlier in the game, the Lads held on for another win on Tyneside.
Despite all the challenges, we’d taken a team made up of many second-string players in key positions and secured a double over our closest and nearest foes from barely a dozen miles up the coast.
Final thoughts…
Before this game, I sent a message to my lad, and he said “Dad, if we win this game, my season will be complete” — and I agreed wholeheartedly with this sentiment.
We’ve stayed up and have come so, so far, but this isn’t like any other game for any Sunderland fan. This is one of the two fixtures we’ve waited almost a decade for, and we haven’t only won the home tie with a somewhat lucky own goal — we’ve come from behind at their place and done the double with a 1-2 win on Tyneside.
These are memories we can all treasure and are almost on the level of cup wins. Remarkable events in North East football, and the position we’re in, with over forty points by March, is something that dreams were made of back in the summer.
Adding to that a double over the Geordies, elevation back to eleventh in the league and being only three points away from European competition for next season? That’s the stuff that dreams are made of already, and I can’t imagine what we may do with the rest of this season.
The future is bright, and no matter what others say (including an expectedly elusive Alan Shearer come Match of the Day on Sunday evening), the future is certainly looking more red and white than monochrome.
Of that we have no doubt — and good luck with your next role, Eddie.
FTM.
