Newcastle vs Sunderland: Five most memorable Tyne-Wear derbies of all time

Newcastle United will meet Sunderland at St James’ Park in a huge Tyne-Wear derby this weekend. 

The Black Cats sealed a memorable 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture in December, when Nick Woltemade inexplicably sent a header into his own net. 

Newcastle have a perfect opportunity to exact revenge on their arch-rivals, who are dealing with several key injuries and enduring a poor run of form. 

However, Sunderland boast an impressive record in recent times at St James’ Park, as they are unbeaten in their last five visits. 

Ahead of Sunday’s big game, we take a look at some of the most memorable Tyne-Wear derbies of all time. 

Newcastle 1-9 Sunderland (December 1908) 

Sunderland’s biggest derby victory against Newcastle came at St James’ Park in 1908 in front of 56,000 spectators. 

Nobody expected an embarrassing defeat for the hosts at half-time when the game was evenly poised at 1-1. 

But things dramatically changed after the interval as the visitors produced a staggering eight goals in just 28 minutes. 

George Holley and Billy Hogg scored hat-tricks to lead their team to a record league win. 

Remarkably, the Magpies still went on to lift the league trophy after an impressive run. 

Newcastle 1-4 Sunderland (February 1979) 

Gary Rowell wrote his name into Sunderland folklore when he led his team to a memorable success in the 1979 derby. 

Rowell came out firing on all cylinders, as he struck twice before half-time. 

John Connolly pulled one back early in the second half, sparking hopes for a close finish. 

But the hosts conceded a penalty, and Rowell stepped up to put the result of the game beyond any doubt. 

The club legend then set up Wayne Entwistle to wrap up a memorable 4-1 triumph. 

Newcastle 1-2 Sunderland (August 1999) 

Ruud Gullit was under pressure as Newcastle manager after a terrible start to the 1999/00 season in which his side picked up just one point from their first four games. 

For the derby in August, Gullit replaced experienced duo Alan Shearer and Duncan Ferguson with Paul Robinson and Silvio Maric. 

Newcastle were 1-0 ahead at half-time after a 27th-minute strike from Kieron Dyer. 

But Sunderland made a stunning comeback after the interval, as second-half goals from Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn sealed a 2-1 win. Gullit resigned as manager two days later. 

Sunderland 2-1 Newcastle (October 2008)

Sunderland claimed their first home victory against Newcastle in 28 years when the two sides met in October 2008. 

The Black Cats had lost six of their previous seven derbies against their arch rivals, but they produced an excellent home display to end their miserable run. 

Djibril Cisse scored the opening goal in the 20th minute, but Shola Ameobi’s powerful header from Geremi’s free-kick restored parity for the visitors. 

Kieran Richardson decided the fate of the game by crashing home a ferocious strike 15 minutes from time. 

Newcastle 5-1 Sunderland (October 2010)  

This was one of Newcastle’s biggest victories against their bitter rivals. 

Kevin Nolan was at his destructive best in this home fixture, as he recorded a brace after just 34 minutes to put his side in the driving seat. 

Shola Ameobi’s penalty made it three on the stroke of half-time. He bagged his second midway through the second half before Nolan completed his hat-trick. 

Darren Bent pulled one back for Sunderland in the injury time, but that served as no consolation for the away side.