Newcastle vs Sunderland: Day that Sunderland turned the derby tide

Thirty-seven seconds of the 2012 Newcastle-Sunderland derby had passed when Lee Cattermole clattered into Cheick Tioté. In the 37th second of that game, the pendulum of control in North-east football moved towards Sunderland. They have not let go of it since.

There is a context to that tackle which is hugely significant. In the previous game at St James’ Park between the two rivals, Newcastle had bullied Sunderland out of the game and out of their city.

Newcastle were a hard team then; Kevin Nolan, Andy Carroll, Joey Barton, Shola Ameobi, streetwise players prepared to win whatever way possible. In the end, it was a demolition. Nolan scored a hat-trick and Newcastle won 5-1.

It was a blemish on Steve Bruce’s record as Sunderland manager that was hard to shift. By the time a pumped-up Cattermole put down that hugely significant marker in 2012 his team would not be physically intimated anymore, Martin O’Neill was in charge.

Two Sunderland players were sent off in that 1-1 draw – Stéphane Sessègnon for raising an arm towards Tioté, and Cattermole, after the game had finished, for arguing with the referee that day, Mike Dean, for the dismissal.

It did not matter. The rot had stopped. Sunderland had stood their ground. They had won a point but made a far greater one. Newcastle’s dugout was out of control for periods of the game.

Alan Pardew would apologise for the taunting celebration that followed the awarding of a late penalty that was actually missed. Newcastle lost control that afternoon and in the Tyne-Wear derby they have not got it back.

“Going back to that game, the year before we got beat 5-1,” says Cattermole. “We were going back and the first thing we had to make sure was that we turned up.

“We got into the game and just after half-time we should have gone 2-0 up. I remember Cheick Tioté made a meal of the Sessègnon sending-off and I got frustrated with that and that’s the point I was making to the referee at the end.

“It was a really harsh sending-off. A lot got said during the game, a lot worse than what I said, it was disappointing. On the day I felt we played really well and deserved to win the game.

“We’ve got a lot of lads still here from the 5-1 defeat and we’ve had the upper hand since then. Before the 5-1 we were flying at the time and we went into it doing really well. We were confident that year but a lot of the team hadn’t played in the derby and a lot underperformed on the day. They had a lot more experience on the day than us.

“They handled the occasion better than us. Straight after that we responded and went on a good run. Steve Bruce got us in the next day and to be fair to the manager, he said: ‘Clear the decks, take tomorrow off and get out and do whatever you want as a team. Get out and try and switch off’.

“We got together as a group, we went out and had a chat and a few beers and the next week we responded well and got on a good run. The manager handled it well.”

As did the team. There have been four derbies since then. One was a draw and Sunderland have won the last three. The record is their best in history but it has been the margin, two 3-0s in the last games at St James’ Park, that has so raised eyebrows. Newcastle have been mastered on their own turf.

“We’re maybe talking more about the chance to win our fourth derby on the trot, which would be massive,” he added. “But we’ve just been preparing for it as normal.

“It’s a good feeling going there. There’s a bit of a rough reception and that’s nice. It’s different, it’s a big game and, as a group, you have to embrace it and just enjoy it.

“On the day, I think it’s about taking your chances. I think we need to improve on that. We need to be a bit more ruthless. I think whoever takes their chances will win the game.

“We have enough experience in our dressing room and I think the spine of the team has been here for a few years and that’s strong for us. We feel pretty confident.”

Probable teams

Newcastle: (4-2-3-1) Alnwick; Janmatt, Coloccini, S Taylor, Dummett; Tioté, Colback; Ameobi, Sissoko, Gouffran; Cissé.

Sunderland: (4-1-4-1) Pantilimon; Vergini, O’Shea, Brown, Réveillère; Cattermole; Johnson, Larsson, Gomez, Wickham; Fletcher.