EPL: SAFC vs NUFC

iveco SG

Date: 17 April 2006

Venue: Stadium of Light

KO Time: 1500 GMT

Kuali Baba SG

Them Mackems again! Let's do our part to make this team the lowest scoring ever in the EPL. Twisted Evil

iveco SG

LAWRENCE AIMING TO AVOID RECORD

Liam Lawrence insists there will be more than just local pride driving Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby with Newcastle United.

Although the Black Cats descent into the Championship was confirmed by their goalless draw at Manchester United on Friday, the manner of their performance gave their long-suffering fans something to shout about.

Allied to their recent draw at Everton, it means Sunderland have now picked up points in successive away games, exactly one sixth of their tally for the entire campaign.

With five games still to play, Lawrence believes there is now a genuine opportunity for the north-east outfit to scramble on to 19 points, a figure which would ensure they avoided the unwanted tag of becoming the worst side ever to play in the Premiership.

We are determined to beat that 19-point mark, said Lawrence.

We have a good bunch of lads here and we dont want to be part of a side called one of the worst teams ever to play in the Premiership.

People have been saying we were going down since October, which riles you a bit.

Ultimately, they have been justified in what they said because we are going down. But we have done our best in every game and for people just to dismiss our efforts like that was really annoying.

Three points - and a first home win of the season - would take Sunderland even closer to their aim, as well as providing the fans even more reason to cheer.

Black Cats chairman Bob Murray denies not providing the finance required to establish the Wearsiders in the top flight.

This has been a terrible season, he said.

But it was not a case of a lack of ambition.

We started the season with a higher wage bill than Wigan and West Ham and some other Premiership clubs. But we have not got a return for this investment and I am deeply sorry for that.

While it is not yet known if caretaker boss Kevin Ball he will be appointed Mick McCarthys successor on a long-term basis, win or lose, he is enjoying every moment of his stint in charge.

I am quite animated on the touchline but that is just the way I am, he said.

As anyone who has been in this position would agree, it is vital you enjoy the matches and that is exactly what I have been doing.

Julio Arca is expected to return to Sunderlands starting line-up for the Stadium of Light clash after recovering from a hamstring injury.

But Rory Delap (broken nose) will not be risked after pulling out of the Good Friday goalless draw with United with a nose bleed in the pre-match warm-up.

I feel very sorry for Rory, said Ball.

He suffered that bang against Fulham but he was fine in training this week.

Yet, for some reason, when he went out to warm up, blood starting gushing out of his nose.

Captain Gary Breen is rated doubtful after picking up a calf injury at Old Trafford and Steve Caldwell stands by to take over in central defence and resume the captaincy of the side.

Having landed a double on Saturday to sink Wigan Athletic - the promoted side who had twice humbled Newcastle this season - Alan Shearer will head for the Stadium of Light determined to heap even more misery on the relegated Black Cats.

Theres no doubt about it, Alan is enjoying these last few games of his career, said caretaker boss Glenn Roeder.

None of them are slacking off, but you can see Alan Shearers determination throughout games at the moment is immense.

At Boro last Sunday, he was punching the air at the final whistle. It meant that much to him.

Knowing Alan, I would think he was disappointed he didnt get a hat-trick on Saturday - but there again, hes got four games to grab one of those, and dont be surprised if he does.

Sunderland matched Manchester United on Friday night to claim a 0-0 draw which would have counted as a famous result had it not relegated them from the Barclays Premiership.

Newcastles 3-1 win over Wigan the following day - the first time they had come back to win a game after going behind since April 2004 - handed them a third successive league victory and dragged them into ninth place.

A fourth on Monday would do their chances of finishing seventh - and the European lifeline that could bring - little harm, although Shearer is taking nothing for granted.

It will be a tough game, he said. They were magnificent against Manchester United on Friday evening.

If they can do that, they can certainly do it again, so we will have to be on our guard.

It will be a tough game for both teams, but we go into it full of confidence.

If they are honest, they have been looking forward to this game for a long time because in truth, for the last couple of months, its what they have had to play for because everyone really knew they were going to struggle to stay up.

But now they have gone down, they can go into this game and can relax a little bit - but we have still got a hell of a lot to play for.

Its a big opportunity for us. Its three wins on the spin now and going to Sunderland, it wont be easy, but we have got a chance to make it four wins and after a long, hard season, there could be something at the end of it for us.

Midfielder Lee Bowyer will miss the derby trip to Sunderland after pulling his hamstring against Wigan.

The former England international lasted just eight minutes of his sides 3-1 win and he could be joined on the sidelines by Emre, who missed out with a groin problem.

Shola Ameobi, who damaged his two front teeth in a collision with goalkeeper John Filan and defender Matt Jackson, could be available, while Kieron Dyer suffered no ill effects from his 75 minutes on Saturday.

Sunderland (from): Davis, Hoyte, Caldwell, Breen, D Collins, McCartney, Lawrence, Whitehead, Leadbitter, Miller, Arca, D Murphy, Stead, Brown, Kyle, Nosworthy, J Murphy, Bassila, N Collins.

Newcastle United (from): Given, Carr, Babayaro, Elliott, Ramage, Moore, Bramble, Solano, NZogbia, Shearer, Ameobi, Harper, Boumsong, Clark, Faye, Chopra, Luque.

iveco SG

Newcastle United staged a stunning second-half fightback to maintain their charge for Europe by slamming the Barclays Premiership door firmly shut behind local rivals Sunderland.

Four second-half goals handed the Magpies a third win on the trot at the Stadium of Light and a fourth successive league win as Glenn Roeder got the better of the caretaker bosses.

It was an outcome which looked unlikely at half-time when they trudged off the pitch trailing to Justin Hoytes 32nd-minute strike having been completely out-played by Kevin Balls men.

But substitute Michael Chopra levelled within 13 seconds of his arrival as a 59th-minute replacement for Lee Clark, and Alan Shearer thumped home a penalty two minutes later to put the visitors ahead.

Charles NZogbias 66th-minute strike sealed the points and Albert Luques 88th-minute fourth simply added to the misery on Wearside as the Black Cats wait for a home win this season continued.

The game represented Sunderlands last chance to salvage any pride from an unhappy season, and a crowd of 40,032 turned up to witness it, the bulk of them hoping that Shearers last visit to the Stadium of Light would end in disappointment.

Their task could not be under-estimated: they had not won a home derby in 10 attempts stretching back 26 years, and with the Magpies having won their last three league games on the trot to rekindle hopes of European qualification, they knew a first league win on their own ground would take a major performance.

However, after excellent displays in their last two completed games - they were trailing 1-0 to Fulham last weekend when the match was abandoned - to secure creditable away draws at Everton and Manchester United, they ran out confident of finally giving their home supporters something to celebrate.

That confidence proved well founded as Balls players excelled themselves before the break while Newcastle were short of their best form.

The Black Cats dominated the opening 45 minutes with Liam Lawrence, Dean Whitehead, Tommy Miller and Daryl Murphy holding sway in midfield as former Sunderland man Clark and Amady Faye struggled to stem the tide.

Shearer and makeshift strike partner Kieron Dyer saw too little of the ball to do anything about it, and although Titus Bramble and Craig Moore initially did well to keep the home side at bay, the Magpies were found wanting when it mattered most after 32 minutes.

Jon Stead, confidence renewed after finally opening his Sunderland account, eased his way past Bramble wide on the left to cross for Whitehead at the near post, and when he turned the ball across goal, Hoyte slammed home from close range.

Nolberto Solano curled a 44th-minute free-kick into Kelvin Davis arms a minute before the break, but apart from wayward efforts from Shearer and Celestine Babayaro, the goalkeeper was a virtual spectator.

The visitors came out for the second half in more positive fashion, Stephen Carr and NZogbia both getting into good positions to cross within the opening three minutes of the half, although neither was able to find a team-mate.

Moore needed to be at his best to finally dispossess Stead after he twisted and turned his way into the box after 51 minutes, but with the visitors now making a push of sorts, their hosts were having to defend a little deeper.

However, it took a timely intervention by Moore to halt an enterprising 51st-minute run by Stead with the striker hurdling challenges with ease to work his way into the box.

Newcastles woes would have increased on 55 minutes had Steads cross towards Chris Brown been a couple of feet lower, although NZogbia wasted Shearers hold-up play seconds later when he screwed a shot high and wide.

However, the game turned on its head within seven incident-packed minutes when Chopra equalised from close range after the home defence made a mess of clearing Brambles long ball.

But worse was to follow two minutes later when NZogbia was hauled back by Hoyte inside the box and referee Chris Foy pointed to the spot.

Shearer, having converted penalties against both Tottenham Hotspur and Wigan Athletic in recent games, blasted his effort beyond Davis dive to claim his first ever goal for the club at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderlands dejection was visible, and it increased with 66 minutes gone when NZogbia worked his way into the box and slid a left-foot shot past Davis and inside the far post.

Shearers afternoon ended prematurely with 19 minutes remaining when he limped off to be replaced by Luque, with Ball already having sent on Kevin Kyle and Julio Arca for Stead and Murphy.

Arcas service from the right gave the home side hope with Brown heading wide from a 76th-minute cross, but although they battled manfully to the whistle, the damage had been done and Luques first goal for the club completed the rout.

blackchickenahkai SG

SUFC??
they still have fighting spirit..
anyone know their 2 wins come from which unfortunate club?.
isit west ham?

haha..