Newcastle Breaks Attendance Record in Derby Day Delight with Win over Sunderland at St James’ Park
Newcastle United women set a new Barclay’s Women’s Championship attendance record this afternoon, as over 38,000 fans watched them claim a statement win over Sunderland in a fiercely contested Tyne-Wear Derby.
The lasses delivered on and off the pitch in front of a vibrant home crowd beating their North East rivals in the league for the second time this season and smashing the Championship attendance record in the process, previously held by Sunderland themselves.
The match was aggressive, and the players put on a passionate display, but neither team was able to find the back of the net in the first half, despite the incredible support from the fans.
The second half started very similarly, until finally in the 77th minute, substitution Shania Hayes hit a powerful strike which sent the Magpies 1-0 up and sent the crowd wild.
Sunderland fought to equalise for the remainder of the game, but despite best efforts were unable to find success, and the game ended 1-0, giving Newcastle the Tyne-Wear derby bragging rights for the second time this season.
The packed-out stands raised the bar once again for the second tier of the women’s game, with a crowd size rivalling most Women’s Super League attendances, showing that Becky Langley’s side are building something special in women’s football, on and off the pitch.
The Lineups
NEW: Moan; Stokes, Stobbs (C), Gregory, Cooper, Furness, McQuade, Wardlaw, Lumsden, Murphy, Cataldo
SUN: Lambourne; Brown, Goddard, Westrup (C), Stapleton, Corbyn, Fenton, Flannery, Kitching, Scarr, Watson
The Action
Over 38,000 fans attended this afternoon’s game at St James’ Park, filling the majority of the stadium, and they were treated to a classic Tyne-Wear derby battle.
The atmosphere was electric, with Newcastle’s war flags waving proudly and away fans in great voice cheering on their team. A real marker of the love that the North East has for football, and how historic this rivalry is.
Newcastle with pace going forwards, winning two corners and a free kick within the opening five minutes, none of which gave them much joy as Sunderland’s defence made great efforts to block any of the Magpies’ chances.
Much to the delight of their fans, Sunderland were speedy on the counterattack, but often ran into trouble in the form of Newcastle’s back line, bolstered by the experienced Demi Stokes, who was not afraid to put in a challenge to win the ball and play out from the back.
A very open first half turned into a scrappy and disjointed affair, heading up to half time, with a flurry of fouls on the Lasses’ left wing. Newcastle had the majority of possession, but Sunderland’s back five kept up their strong performance to deny them many chances.
Perhaps the best chance of the first half came when Rachel Furness, freshly back from an injury, had a shot on target, but to the dismay of the home fans, there wasn’t enough power behind it and Sunderland’s Demi Lambourne was able to claim the ball.
A last ditch throw from Sunderland in the first half’s added time was the last effort before half time, but it didn’t result in any joy for the Black Cats, and the teams went in, the score resting at 0-0.
Half time bought a treat for the Newcastle fans, when the recently won Carabao Cup was lifted in the middle of the pitch, before it was time for this fierce derby to begin again.
The second half was more of the same as both teams played with a lot of physicality and passion, vying for a goal to break the deadlock. Newcastle continued to struggle to break down Sunderland’s packed out defensive line, and the battle continued.
Finally, in the 77th minute, a pacy run down from Newcastle’s Emily Murphy who passed it off to assist Shania Hayes’ impressive strike, giving the Magpies a 1-0 lead and breaking the stalemate at St James’ Park.
Sunderland tried to respond when they won a free kick, but it was an easy claim for Newcastle’s Claudia Moan. The Black Cats had another chance when Libbi McInnes had a go on goal, but once again Moan had it covered and got Newcastle out of danger.
Four minutes of added time gave Sunderland some hope, with yet another free kick, but Newcastle’s defence remained strong.
The dying minutes saw Newcastle head coach Becky Langley be shown a red card for time wasting, but even without their manager the Magpies held onto their lead and won the game 1-0, winning this derby for the second time this season, and leapfrogging Sunderland in the table.
An incredible day for Newcastle as they cinched the win from this scrappy contest, a derby win, a HUGE record crowd and three points!
