 Typical Newcastle United and Sunderland kits. | |
| Other names | Wear–Tyne derby North East derby |
|---|---|
| Location | Tyne and Wear |
| Teams | |
| First meeting | 10 November 1888 FA Cup Sunderland 2–0 Newcastle East End |
| Latest meeting | 6 January 2024 FA Cup Sunderland 0–3 Newcastle United |
| Next meeting | 14 December 2025 Premier League Sunderland v Newcastle United |
| Stadiums | Newcastle:St James' Park Sunderland:Stadium of Light |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 157 |
| Most wins | Newcastle (54) |
| Most player appearances | Jimmy Lawrence, Newcastle (27) |
| Top scorer | George Holley, Sunderland (15) |
| All-time series | Newcastle: 54 Draws: 50 Sunderland: 53 |
| Largest victory | Newcastle United 1–9Sunderland 1908–09 First Division (5 December 1908) |
Location of the two teams' stadia 16 km apart inTyne and Wear | |
TheTyne–Wear derby, also known as theWear–Tyne derby or theNorth East derby, is alocal derby between theassociation football clubsSunderland andNewcastle United. The derby is an inter-city rivalry inNorth East England with the two cities ofSunderland andNewcastle upon Tyne just 12 miles (19 km) apart. Sunderland play their home matches at theStadium of Light whilst Newcastle play their home matches atSt. James’ Park. The first meeting of the two sides took place in 1883, with the first competitive fixture being anFA Cup tie in1888 which Sunderland won 2–0 overNewcastle East End.
The statistical balance between the sides is very even: to date, having played 157 times in their history (excluding friendlies) with Newcastle just edging out Sunderland by a win, 54 to 53 wins respectively whilst sharing 50 draws; (seesummary of results for breakdown).[1][2][3]
The history of the Tyne–Wear derby is a modern-day extension of a rivalry betweenSunderland andNewcastle that dates back to theEnglish Civil War when protestations over advantages that merchants inRoyalist Newcastle had over their Wearside counterparts led to Sunderland becoming aParliamentarian stronghold.[4]
Sunderland and Newcastle again found themselves on opposite sides during theJacobite risings, with Newcastle in support of theHanoverians with the German King George, and Sunderland siding with the ScottishStuarts.[5]
Prior to the beginning of the twentieth century, the main rivalries in Sunderland and Newcastle were cross-town affairs. In Newcastle a rivalry existed during the 1880s betweenNewcastle East End (later to become Newcastle United) andNewcastle West End, which was ended with West End's bankruptcy in 1892. Meanwhile, on Wearside, a group of players broke away from Sunderland and formed the rivalSunderland Albion in 1888, though Albion was forced to fold four years later. The first meeting between the two took place in 1883, with the first competitive fixture anFA Cup tie in November 1887; Sunderland won 2–0.
Around the turn of the 20th century, the rivalry began to emerge. The 1901Good Friday encounter, late in the1900–01 season atSt James' Park had to be abandoned as up to 120,000 fans made their way into a ground which then had a capacity of 30,000. The news was met with anger and rioting followed, with a number of fans injured.[6] However, in general, although the derby attracted big crowds – with fans often climbing trees and buildings for views of the game – there is little evidence to suggest any animosity between the two sets of supporters in the pre-war and immediate post-war period.[citation needed] On 5 December 1908, Sunderland beat Newcastle 9–1 at St James' Park; despite this, Newcastle still won the league title that season finishing nine points ahead of their local rivals who finished 3rd.[7][8] The result remains the biggest ever win in a Tyne–Wear derby, as well as the Wearsiders' biggest ever win away from home[9] and Newcastle's biggest ever home league defeat. Newcastle's largest victory margin in a derby is 6–1, which they have achieved twice – at home in 1920 and away in 1955.[7]
In 1979, Sunderland won 4–1 at Newcastle, withGary Rowell (who was born inSunderland, County Durham) scoring a hat-trick.[10] On New Year's Day 1985, Newcastle-bornPeter Beardsley scored a hat trick in Newcastle's 3–1 victory in the fixture.[11]
In 1990, the sides met in aSecond Division play off semi final dubbed 'the biggest Tyne–Wear derby in history'.[8] The first leg at Roker Park ended goalless after Sunderland missed a penalty; however they then won the second leg 2–0 at St James' Park. Towards the end of the second leg, some Newcastle fans invaded the pitch in the hope of forcing an abandonment.[12] However, the game was resumed and Sunderland completed the win.[13] Sunderland went on lose the final toSwindon Town, but were still promoted due to financial irregularities at Swindon.
In a memorable derby on 25 August 1999, Newcastle managerRuud Gullit dropped leading scorersAlan Shearer andDuncan Ferguson to the bench. Sunderland went on to win 2–1 at St. James' Park thanks to goals fromKevin Phillips andNiall Quinn, and in the face of outrage from Newcastle fans, Gullit quit before their next match.[8][14] Sunderland repeated the feat a year later, in a match remembered for Sunderland goalkeeperThomas Sørensen saving a Shearer penalty.
In an eventful derby on 17 April 2006, Newcastle came from 1–0 down at half time to beat Sunderland 4–1 at theStadium of Light.[15] One of Newcastle's scorers that day,Michael Chopra, later joined Sunderland and played in three derbies against Newcastle. On 25 October 2008, Sunderland beat Newcastle 2–1 at the Stadium of Light, their first home win in a derby for 28 years.[16]
On 31 October 2010 Newcastle beat Sunderland, who played with ten men for over 37 minutes, 5–1 at home,[17] with their captainKevin Nolan scoring a hat-trick, while Sunderland's former Newcastle defenderTitus Bramble was sent off. Newcastle led the return fixture in January 2011 1–0 thanks to another Nolan goal, only for Sunderland'sAsamoah Gyan to equalise in injury time.[18] The next derby took place in August 2011 at the Stadium of Light, where Newcastle won 1–0 thanks to a Ryan Taylor free kick. The return fixture at St. James Park ended 1–1. Both sides were charged by the FA for failing to keep their players under control, charges which they both accepted.[citation needed]
On 14 April 2013, Sunderland defeated Newcastle 3–0 at St James' Park in managerPaolo Di Canio's second game in charge, their first away win in the fixture in 13 years. The attendance for the game was 52,355 with 2,000 Sunderland fans, this included the suspended Black cats midfielderCraig Gardner. The Sunderland goalscorers wereStéphane Sessègnon in the 27th minute,Adam Johnson in the 74th minute andDavid Vaughan in the 82nd minute.[19] The following season saw Sunderland do the double over Newcastle for the first time since the 1966/67 season and win three derbies in a row since 1923[20]- the Black Cats edging a 2–1 Stadium of Light on 27 October 2013,[21] before a repeat 0–3 victory at St James Park on 1 February 2014, with goals fromFabio Borini, Adam Johnson andJack Colback.[22]
On 21 December 2014, Adam Johnson scored a late goal in the 90th minute past goalkeeperJak Alnwick at St James' Park, ensuring that Sunderland had defeated Newcastle in four consecutive derbies - a new record and also Sunderland's third consecutive victory at St James' Park. On 5 April 2015 Sunderland again defeated Newcastle to make it five derby wins in a row and complete the double victory over Newcastle for a second consecutive season;Jermain Defoe scored from 22 yards on the stroke of half-time to give Sunderland victory.[23] On 25 October 2015 Sunderland once again defeated Newcastle to make it a record sixth consecutive derby victory. A penalty from Adam Johnson opened the scoring which saw Newcastle down to 10 men withFabricio Coloccini sent off as a result. Then a goal fromBilly Jones and aSteven Fletcher volley sealed the win.[24] The most recent league meeting of the two sides, on 20 March 2016 at St James' Park, ended in a 1–1 draw, with Jermain Defoe opening the scoring for Sunderland beforeAleksandar Mitrovic equalised for Newcastle.
With Sunderland having been relegated to the third tier of English football in 2018, they became eligible for theEFL Trophy, which also included underage teams of Premier League clubs such as Newcastle. Sunderland's first team met Newcastle'sUnder-21s in the2018–19 competition, winning 4–0;[25] due to the local interest this match attracted a crowd of over 16,000, far above the average for the competition, but is not counted towards statistics relating to the derby (Sunderland went on to reachthe final but lost toPortsmouth on penalties). Newcastle faced Sunderland away in the FA Cup on 6 January 2024, the first derby since 2016. Newcastle won that match 3–0, securing a first away win over their rivals since 2011.
On 13 October 2024,Sunderland A.F.C. Women andNewcastle United W.F.C. played each other in theWomen's Championship for the first time at theStadium of Light, setting a new attendance record of 15,387 for the league in doing so.[26] The previous record attendance for the Women's Championship had been 11,137, set in a match played in 2022.[27]
On 24 May 2025, Sunderland defeatedSheffield United 2–1 at Wembley Stadium in theChampionship play-off final to win promotion to thePremier League for the first time since2017. Sunderland's victory confirms that the Tyne-Wear derby will return to the English top-flight for the first time since the2015–16 season.
The Tyne–Wear derby has on occasion experienced incidents offootball hooliganism. In 1990, as Sunderland led the playoff semi final 2–0, some Newcastle fans entered the pitch, in the hope of getting the match abandoned. There were 160 arrests in connection with a game in 2001.[28]
In March 2002, theSeaburn Casuals (aSunderland A.F.C. firm) fought with hooligans from theNewcastle Gremlins in a pre-arranged clash near the NorthShields Ferry terminal, in what was described as "some of the worst football related fighting ever witnessed in the United Kingdom".[29] The leaders of the Gremlins and Casuals were both jailed for four years for conspiracy, with 28 others jailed for various terms, based on evidence gained after police examined the messages sent bymobile phone between the gang members on the day.[30]
On 2 April 2003, about 95 fans were arrested when around 200 fans of Sunderland and Newcastle clashed in Sunderland city centre before anEnglandUEFA Euro 2004 qualifying match againstTurkey in the city. The fans then attacked the police, pelting them with missiles including bottles, cans and wheel trims. Some sources attributed these clashes to a resurgence in the conflict between the Gremlins and Seaburn Casuals.[31] At the end of the 2002–03 season, Sunderland topped the football arrests table with 154.[32][33]
In 2008, after Sunderland beat Newcastle at home for the first time in 28 years, there was a small pitch invasion by Sunderland fans, and missiles were thrown at Newcastle midfielderJoey Barton, although managerRoy Keane played down the seriousness of the incident.[34] On 16 January 2011 in theFA Premier League clash at theStadium of Light, a 17-year-old Sunderland fan ran onto the pitch and pushed over Newcastle goalkeeperSteve Harper, and was among 24 people who were arrested in connection with a string of hooligan incidents at the game.[35] However, incidents of violence are not as common as sometimes suggested – for example Sunderland were awarded the best behaved fans award for the 2010–11 season, despite the derby day arrests.[36]
On 14 April 2013, some Newcastle United fans rioted on the streets ofNewcastle upon Tyne following the 3–0 defeat by Sunderland at St. James' Park,[37] with one fan's attack on apolice horse gaining international media attention. Four police officers were injured and 29 arrests made.[38] Confrontation between fans of the rival teams atNewcastle railway station was shown in the television seriesAll Aboard: East Coast Trains in an episode entitled "Derby Day".[39]
The1996–97 season saw Sunderland join Newcastle in thePremier League. However proposals were put forward to ban Newcastle fans from the ageing Roker Park on safety and security grounds. A last-minute agreement by Sunderland andNorthumbria Police was to allow 1,000 Newcastle supporters to attend the game. However, Newcastle had already made arrangements for a live televised beamback, and so rejected the offer. Responding to criticism from fans, Newcastle's then Chief Executive Freddie Fletcher suggested that the state of Roker Park was to blame and told fans: "Don't blame Newcastle. Don't blame Northumbria Police. Blame Sunderland!"[40] In response to the ban on Newcastle fans at Roker Park, Newcastle placed a similar ban on Sunderland fans for the return fixture at St James' Park.[citation needed]
Fearing that this would set a precedent for future derby matches, supporters groups and fanzines of both sides joined to form theWear United pressure group. Supporters of both sides were assured that away fans would be able to attend future derby games, though this was probably more to do with the fact that the 1996–97 season was Sunderland's last at Roker Park before moving into the brand newStadium of Light.[citation needed]
In January 2014, following violence after the previous year's derby in Newcastle, a 'bubble trip' was announced for Sunderland fans wishing to travel to St James' Park for the game- supporters would be denied entry unless they travelled to the game on official buses leaving from Sunderland, regardless of where they lived.[41] The measure resulted in an angry response from both Sunderland and Newcastle supporters, with websites and fanzines from both sets of fans issuing a joint statement opposing the measure.[42] Subsequently, a row broke out between the clubs and Northumbria Police as to why the bubble trip was being implemented, and Sunderland AFC withdrew the conditions, and in a joint statement with Newcastle United, criticised Northumbria Police's claims that they had not directed changes in kick off times over many years as 'false and absurd', and that all future games would kick off at times to suit the clubs and any TV broadcasts.[43]
| Competition | Played | Newcastle wins | Sunderland wins | Draws | Newcastle goals | Sunderland goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | 142 | 51 | 47 | 44 | 211 | 211 |
| FA Cup | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 11 |
| League Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Promotion play-offs | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Texaco Cup/Anglo-Scottish Cup | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Total | 157 | 54 | 53 | 50 | 227 | 232 |
| Competition | Newcastle United | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| Football League First Division | 4 | 6 |
| FA Cup | 6 | 2 |
| EFL Cup | 1 | 0 |
| FA Charity/Community Shield | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 12 | 9 |
Newcastle have achieved the double in nine seasons (most recently in the 2005–06 season), while Sunderland have managed seven doubles, most recently in 2014–15.[1]
Newcastle
| Season | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|
| 1909–10 | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| 1911–12 | 3–1 | 2–1 |
| 1913–14 | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| 1920–21 | 6–1 | 2–0 |
| 1955–56 | 3–1 | 6–1 |
| 1956–57 | 6–2 | 2–1 |
| 1992–93 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| 2002–03 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| 2005–06 | 3–2 | 4–1 |
Sunderland
| Season | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|
| 1904–05 | 3–1 | 3–1 |
| 1919–20 | 2–0 | 3–2 |
| 1923–24 | 3–2 | 2–0 |
| 1954–55 | 4–2 | 2–1 |
| 1966–67 | 3–0 | 3–0 |
| 2013–14 | 2–1 | 3–0 |
| 2014–15 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
Sunderland9–1: (A) 5 December 1908
Newcastle6–1 (H): 9 October 1920, (A) 26 December 1955
Sunderland6 games:14 April 2013 – October 2015
Newcastle5 games:24 February 2002 – 17 April 2006
4 games:8 April 1985 – 13 May 1990
| Club | Player | League | Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland | George Holley | 17 | 5 | 22 |
| Newcastle | Jimmy Lawrence | 22 | 5 | 27 |
| Club | Player | League | Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland | George Holley | 13 | 2 | 15 |
| Newcastle | Jackie Milburn | 9 | 2 | 11 |
| Venue | Attendance | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland | 68,004 | Sunderland 2–2 Newcastle United | 1950[44] |
| Newcastle | 56,000 | Newcastle United 1–1 Sunderland | 1905 |
| Venue | Attendance | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland | 25,400 | Sunderland 2–0 Newcastle East End | 1888[45] |
| Newcastle | 17,494 | Newcastle United 1–3 Sunderland | 1893[6] |
A number of players have made first team appearances for both Newcastle and Sunderland, namely:
In addition, the guest system operated in British football during World War II meant that most teams fielded guest players. Amongst these was the Newcastle forwardJackie Milburn who made two guest appearances for Sunderland against Gateshead twice during the1944–45 season. Another Newcastle striker,Albert Stubbins also guested for Sunderland several times during the1941–42 season, including an appearance in the Wartime Cup Final, which Sunderland lost toWolverhampton Wanderers despite a Stubbins goal.
Bob Stokoe, who won theFA Cup as a player with Newcastle in 1955, was manager of Sunderland between 1972 and 1977, guiding the Wearsiders to their famous FA Cup victory in 1973 and promotion to Division One in 1976. He returned to manage them briefly again in 1987.
Only two men have taken charge of both teams. On 15 May 2007, Newcastle appointedSam Allardyce as their new manager, who had played for Sunderland in the early 1980s. He was named the new manager of Sunderland on 9 October 2015, becoming the first person to manage both derby rivals.[46] In summer 2019, formerSunderland Manager,Steve Bruce was appointed as Newcastle manager, replacingRafael Benítez.
| Grounds | |
|---|---|
| Training grounds | |
| Community | |
| Other teams | |
| Rivalries | |
| Culture | |
