Newcastle v Sunderland derbies – Now guaranteed at least 8 years gap…Do you want them back?

Are you missing the Newcastle v Sunderland derbies?

Do you want them back?

The last of the Newcastle v Sunderland derbies was on 20 March 2016, a late Aleksandar Mitrovic goal giving a final 1-1 scoreline at St James’ Park.

Newcastle United were relegated and Sunderland stayed up, just.

The Mackems didn’t laugh for long though, as the Geordie passed them one year later as Sunderland swapped places.

Much amusement on Tyneside ever since,, Sunderland completed the remarkable feat of finishing rock bottom in the 2016/17 Premier League season AND rock bottom in the 2017/18 Championship season.

Sunderland fans can quite rightly boast that Newcastle United have never managed anything quite so dramatic, a bit like jumping out of a plane without a parachute.

With their eventual crawl back into the second tier, this current season did at least make it a possibility that 2023/24 could see the return of Newcastle v Sunderland derbies in the top tier.

However, despite fluking the final play-off spot on the last day of the regular league season, the mackem dreams are at an end.

The gap with no Newcastle v Sunderland derbies in the Premier League now guaranteed to be at least eight years, with it not happening in the 2023/24 season.

Tonight, the second leg of their semi-final play-off seeing Luton by far the better team, two first half goals enough to make it a 3-2 final aggregate score, after Sunderland led 2-1 from the first leg.

Luton showing why they finished 11 points ahead of Sunderland, the only save the home keeper had to make on Tuesday night was a header from one of his own players. Whilst at the other end, Luton wasted a host of chances.

Sunderland had finished the season 32 points off Burnley at the top and to be honest, the mackems are probably lucky they didn’t come up, as they look a million miles away from being able to compete in the Premier League.

Looking at the record books, you have to go back to a period that included the Second World War, to find a longer gap without Newcastle v Sunderland derbies.

That gap lasted from March 1934 to October 1948, fully fourteen years.

I wonder if that record will be overtaken in these years ahead?

Newcastle v Sunderland derbies – Now going to be at least an eight years gap… Do you want them back?

Luton will now meet either Middlesbrough or Coventry in the play-off final, the Smoggies hosting the team from the Midlands on Wednesday night after the first leg ended goalless.