Sunderland defeat Newcastle for the Barry Venison Trophy!
Today at 01:00 AM
Sunderland's London contingent took home the trophy and the derby day pride with a win over their Geordie counterparts — all whilst raising money for an amazing cause.
The Lads might have crashed out of the FA Cup at the first time of asking on Saturday, but that doesn't mean there was no more silverware on offer. Just over a year since the debacle that was last season's Wear-Tyne derby, the SAFC London Branch were out for a spot of revenge against their Newcastle counterparts in the inaugural Barry Venison Cup. Branch Sports Secretary Ben Littledyke tells the story of the day.
Link for charity donations: https://www.justgiving.com/page/ben-littledyke-1734600349310
This game had been a long time in the offing. Despite both Sunderland and Newcastle having sizeable and active London branches, and crossing swords regularly over the darts board and pool table, there hadn't been a fixture between the clubs' football teams for as long as anyone can remember.
After a Sopranos-style sit down with our counterparts from the NUFC London Branch, we were able to shake hands on an 11-a-side friendly at Market Road in North London, to raise money for a fantastic cause in Children with Cancer UK. It wasn't just bragging rights on the line; the winner would lift the first ever Barry Venison trophy, so there was everything to play for.
It was a bitingly cold January morning, with frost still clinging to the sections of the pitch hidden away from the sun. The Mags had turned up in their numbers, both on and off the pitch, with ten substitutes and a healthy contingent of fans cheering them on. From the warmup you could see there was no lack of height in the Magpies' XI, and we knew we would be in for a real battle.
There was a lot of quality in Sunderland's squad too, though, with skipper Andrew Jordan in goal protected by a solid defence of Sam Andrews, Matt Foreman, Thomas Cansfield and Nick Checketts. Our midfield trio of Jack Taylor, Adam Cansfield and Jonny Winship resembled the Jobe – Neil – Rigg triumvirate in its combination of power, pace and skill, and a front three of Matthew Leadbeater, Alistair Wilson and George Hedley would offer a range of threats to the Geordie defence.
There were solid and versatile options from the bench too, in the shape of James Wood, Jaxon Allen, Jacob Kirkbride, Dan Stockdale and experienced defender Matt Woolston. Personally, I was gutted to miss out through illness, though I made the arguably naïve decision to turn up to cheer the lads on anyway.
Right from the first whistle, it was clear that this would be a bona fide derby battle, with thundering challenges crashing in across the pitch, and a frantic pace to the game. Sunderland started the brighter, creating a few half-chances without really testing the Newcastle keeper. The Toon then started to gain a foothold in the game, causing some panic in our defence with dangerous set pieces, and we needed some brave goalkeeping from Jordan that kept our clean sheet intact. Sunderland reasserted ourselves in the closing stages of the half, and thought we had taken the lead through Adam Cansfield, only for the linesman's flag to cut our celebrations short, much to the delight of the assembled Geordie fans.
The second half kicked off with the bright winter sun at our backs, as we looked to assert ourselves and finally make the breakthrough. Substitute James Wood added extra bite to our defence, and we were able to maintain possession more comfortably in Newcastle territory. The opening goal finally came through centre forward Alistair Wilson, once a Newcastle academy player but a die-hard Sunderland fan, who struck a finely-taken volley to give us the lead. Thankfully the Mags' protests of offside fell on deaf ears this time, and we had something to protect going into the final half an hour.
As is always the case when leading, but especially in a derby game, the clock seemed to snail by, and Newcastle enjoyed a further period of pressure from a string of set pieces. Sunderland always looked threatening on the counter, and went close with a few quick counter-attacks from Leadbeater and Man of the Match Adam Cansfield, but we were unable to find that crucial second goal. Thankfully, barring a late save from Jordan we never faced any truly dangerous moments, and the final whistle went to much joy from the lads in red and white. In true John Terry style, I made sure to join in the post-match photos despite having not played a single minute.
The post-match festivities at Doyle's Tavern saw us reflect on a fiercely combative game, lifting the fabled Barry Venison Trophy, and at the time of writing the event has raised over £1,500 for charity, showing the incredible positive power of football to do good in the world, even among hated rivals. Not even the limp FA Cup defeat to Stoke could bring us back down to Earth.
We've agreed to make this an annual event, so the Mags will have their chance at revenge in 2026, but for now we'll reflect and enjoy what was a fantastic day for the London Branch.
