Ranking The 5 Biggest Rivals Of Sunderland
As one of English football’s biggest and most followed clubs, Sunderland naturally has their fair share of rivals. They’re used to playing against clubs from across the nation. There are many games for them to get particularly fired up for. In this article, we have ranked the 5 biggest rivals of Sunderland.
Based on a survey among Sunderland fans, here are the five biggest rivals of Sunderland ranked.
5. Sunderland vs Portsmouth
With the clubs being 334 miles apart, Sunderland vs Portsmouth could not be geographically any further from a derby but it was among the Black Cats’ biggest rivalries in the last few seasons. They are among the two best-supported teams in the third tier.
And continuous matches between the two have resulted in something that may be classified as a rivalry. It mainly stemmed from the clubs meeting each other 5 times in the 2018–19 season. They are now among the five biggest rivals of Sunderland.
4. Sunderland vs Leeds United
Both Sunderland and Leeds were contenders for promotion from Division Two in the 1962/63 season. However, both teams were not to reach the promised land until the following season. The way Leeds did it was deemed uncompromising in the extreme and they made many enemies. Sunderland was one and it was at this game that the hostilities started. They have never really gone away.
The flashpoint was a horrendous thigh-high tackle by Bobby Collins which resulted in Willie McPheat being carried off with a broken leg. Leeds had some extremely talented footballers – but they were also considered masters of the darkest arts.
Sunderland’s 1973 cup-winning captain Bobby Kerr also had his leg broken – accidentally – by Norman Hunter in a fifth-round tie with Leeds in 1967. Despite that, Kerr was there in ’73 to raise the cup against Leeds in the most famous of cup finals.
3. Sunderland vs Coventry City
The rivalry between Sunderland and Coventry City dates back to May 1977, during the final relegation games of the season. Sunderland, Coventry City, and Bristol City were level on points, with Coventry having the worst goal difference. Coventry hosted Bristol City while Sunderland played at Goodison Park. Coventry needed a win to stay safe, while Sunderland could survive with a draw or even a loss, provided there was a winner in Coventry’s game.
Controversy arose when Jimmy Hill, Coventry’s managing director, delayed the kickoff by over 10 minutes, citing crowd congestion. Coventry took a 2-0 lead, but Bristol equalized with 12 minutes remaining. By then, Sunderland had already lost 2-0 at Goodison. Hill ensured that this result was announced to both teams at Coventry, making them aware that a draw would secure safety for both. The match ended 2-2, with neither side attempting to win in the closing minutes.
Sunderland fans argue that without Hill’s intervention, Bristol might have defeated Coventry, leading to Sunderland’s survival. This perceived manipulation solidified Coventry as one of Sunderland’s fiercest rivals, with the 1977 events remaining a sore point in their footballing history.
2. Sunderland vs Middlesbrough
The Tees–Wear derby is the name given to the rivalry between Middlesbrough and Sunderland. They are separated by 2 rivers and 30 miles, in the North East of England. There have been plenty of memorable meetings with Middlesbrough over the years with both clubs either battling for promotion or to avoid relegation in the same seasons. The 1990s was a case in point with Boro and Sunderland suffering relegation in 1997 and both chasing promotion the following season.
There’s also the fact that supporters of both clubs often live near each other and also work together, adding extra spice to derbies. For example, there are a lot of Sunderland fans who live in Billingham. Factor in the overzealous treatment Boro fans have endured on several occasions at the Stadium of Light and you have the perfect breeding ground for a bitter rivalry.
1. Sunderland vs Newcastle
It was inevitable that the Tyne-Wear derby was going to top this list, and for good reason. These two sides have been going at it since 1883, and you can sense the history behind the rivalry and what it means to each set of fans every time they take the field.
The history of the Tyne-Wear derby is a modern-day extension of a rivalry between Sunderland and Newcastle that dates back to the English Civil War when protestations over advantages that merchants in Royalist Newcastle had over their Wearside counterparts led to Sunderland becoming a Parliamentarian stronghold.
Sunderland and Newcastle again found themselves on opposite sides during the Jacobite risings, with Newcastle in support of the Hanoverians with the German King George, and Sunderland siding with the Scottish Stuarts. It gets intense whenever these clubs meet, and sometimes it even gets violent, but ultimately, this rivalry is one of the greatest spectacles in world football.