Due to the Magpies’ Checkatrade Trophy clash with the Black Cats on 8 January, the Premier League 2 fixture between the two has been rescheduled.
Newcastle United have announced that their Premier League 2 derby with Sunderland has been scheduled for a new date and kickoff time.
The young Magpies were due to face their Black Cats counterparts at the Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground on Monday 7 January 2019.
However, given Newcastle’s Under-21s are set to meet Sunderland’s senior side in the Checkatrade Trophy the following day, there appeared to be a clash of schedules.
As a result, the official Magpies website said in a statement that the reserve game will now take place on Friday 4 January.
However, it has also been confirmed that, rather than at Eppleton Colliery Welfare, the game will now take place at Sunderland’s Academy of Light training ground at 1pm, and will not be open to the public.
Following the announcement on Newcastle’s Twitter page, some fans expressed their unhappiness at the change:
Interestingly, at the time of writing, Sunderland did not appear to have published the news either on their website or on their social media pages, despite the fixture being played at their premises.
Newcastle’s reserves have already claimed a 5-0 win over Sunderland’s second string this season, while last term, they knocked the Black Cats out of the Premier League International Cup.
A competitive Tyne-Wear derby has not taken place for more than two years – the Checkatrade Trophy clash will be the first such meeting between the two clubs since a 1-1 Premier League draw in March 2016 (11v11).
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