Magpies and Cats are so close, but now so far apart

May 25 2009 The Journal

IT IS just 15 miles from St James's Park to the Stadium of Light, but a massive gap separated the North East rivals.

Sunderland fans celebrated their final-day survival act and gloried in the demise of their near neighbours.

Scenes of wild celebration erupted in the stadium and the pubs, then swept through the streets following a dramatic end to the season.

Fans sang, danced and chanted into the night as they looked forward to another year at football’s top table.

Before the game supporters bathed in the bank holiday sunshine, laughing, chanting and drinking. But the threat of relegation loomed large.

Feeling among fans was that a win against a strong Chelsea side was impossible and the fate of their club lay with the footballing Gods.

Lifelong supporter Graeme Scott, 31, of Hylton Castle, Sunderland, summed up the fears of his fellow fans.

“Everybody is really nervous and tense. I couldn’t sleep last night. I’m just a bag of nerves. We just can’t go down.”

Pubs surrounding the ground were packed with fans keen to follow the fortunes of the final day relegation battle. The tense mood that prevailed was lifted as news filtered through of a goal for Manchester United against Hull.

On 38 minutes the pub burst into life as Newcastle went 1-0 down after a Damien Duff own goal.

After a tight first 45 minutes, the second half did nothing to calm frayed nerves. Within two minutes of the restart, Nicolas Anelka hit the back of the net.

But Kieron Richardson hit back immediately for the Black Cats, sending the pub into raptures.

The floodgates opened and Chelsea hit two more goals, but attentions had already turned to the Newcastle match at Villa Park.

Barely anybody noticed when Kenwyne Jones fired home on 90 minutes, as all eyes were fixated on the latest scores in the games at Newcastle and Hull.

The tension and fear was palpable in the dying minutes of the final day. Near silence reigned.

Pandemonium broke out as final whistles blew around the country. Sunderland were safe, Newcastle were down and the crowd were in seventh heaven.

The air was thick with deafening chants of elated fans, the streets were alive with noise and colour and cars hooted their horns in celebration.