Newcastle brought a sizeable away following to Sunderland on Wednesday, with the visiting fans enjoying a dramatic under-23 win.
With no first team Tyne-Wear derby this season, an under-23 meeting between Sunderland and Newcastle United quenched fans’ thirst on Wednesday.
The two sides met at the Stadium of Light in the quarter-finals of the Premier League International Cup and played out an enthralling tie.
Lynden Gooch hit a brace for a strong Sunderland team, but goals from Curtis Good and Callum Roberts – the latter a last-ditch equalising free-kick – took the game to extra-time, where Newcastle saw off their bitter rivals.
There is not much for either club to shout about on the pitch this season at first team level, but the Newcastle fans certainly seemed to revel in this victory in front of a large away following.
Newcastle have not beaten Sunderland in the Premier League since 2011, losing six consecutive matches between 2013 and 2015, but fans will hope some of the young players on show here can star when the sides next meet in league action.
Given the Black Cats’ dire season and seemingly impending relegation to League One, however, it could be a long time before that day comes.
Fans may instead be left to clutch at the straws of a second-string success, as Newcastle did here.
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