The Tees–Wear derby is a
football local derby
Local may refer to:
Geography and transportation
* Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand
* Local, Missouri, a community in the United States
* Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...
contested between
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club ( ) is a professional football club in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England, which competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium ...
and
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club (, ) is an English professional football club based in the city of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. Formed in 1879, Sunderland play in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club has won six t ...
who are separated by 2 rivers and 30 miles, in the North East of England. Broadly, Sunderland fans based in the
City of Sunderland
The City of Sunderland () is a metropolitan borough with city status in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, North East England. It is named after its largest settlement, Sunderland, spanning a far larger area, including nearby towns incl ...
and further north towards
Tyneside
Tyneside is a built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne in northern England. Residents of the area are commonly referred to as Geordies. The whole area is surrounded by the North East Green Belt.
The population of Tyneside as publishe ...
focus most of their attention on Newcastle. Middlesbrough is not classed as a major rival in these areas primarily due to the increased distance from
Teesside
Teesside () is a built-up area around the River Tees in the north of England, split between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The name was initially used as a county borough in the North Riding of Yorkshire.
Historically a hub for heavy manu ...
, and the lack of regular interaction with Teessiders. The rivalry of the Tees-Wear derby, however, is much more intense and evenly balanced in southern
County Durham, where fans of both clubs live and work close together and interact regularly.
History
The rivalry intensified somewhat during the 1990s when the two teams spent much of their time at the top of
Division 1, which resulted in clashes between sets of rival fans. Football related violence between the two sets of fans has reduced since Middlesbrough left
Ayresome Park and Sunderland left
Roker Park
Roker Park was a football ground in Roker, Sunderland, England, which was the home of Sunderland A.F.C. from 1898 to 1997, before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Its final capacity was around 22,500, with only a small part being seated ...
. This is in part due to the easier policing of matches at the new stadiums. However, heightened police presence is still required when the teams meet, as the fixture can lead to violent incidents between fans.
Sunderland regularly reduce Middlesbrough's away allocations due to safety concerns and previous bad behaviour.
Although Sunderland won trophies in the early 1900s it is Middlesbrough who have been more successful in recent times, reaching five major cup finals from 1997 to 2006, including the
2006 UEFA Cup Final and lifting the
2004 League Cup.
![MFC Riverside Exterior](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/MFC_Riverside_Exterior.JPG)
In the
2008–09 Premier League season, the results were:
*Sunderland 2–0 Middlesbrough
*Middlesbrough 1–1 Sunderland
In 2011–12 the teams played in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
:
*Sunderland 1–1 Middlesbrough 28 January 2012
* Replay – Middlesbrough 1–2 Sunderland (AET) 8 February 2012.
In 2012–13 the teams played in the
Football League Cup
*Sunderland 0–1 Middlesbrough 30 October 2012
In the
2016–17 Premier League season, the results were:
*Sunderland 1–2 Middlesbrough
*Middlesbrough 1–0 Sunderland
In the
2017–18 EFL Championship season, the results were:
*Middlesbrough 1–0 Sunderland
*Sunderland 3–3 Middlesbrough
In 2017–18 the teams played in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
*Middlesbrough 2–0 Sunderland 6 January 2018
In the
2022–23 EFL Championship season, the results were:
*Middlesbrough 1–0 Sunderland
Summary of results
''As of 5 September 2022''
Honours
:''Table correct as of 5 September 2022''
See also
*
Tyne–Tees derby
*
Tyne–Wear derby
The Tyne–Wear derby, also known as the North East derby, is a local derby between the association football clubs Sunderland and Newcastle United. The derby is an inter-city rivalry in North East England with the two cities of Sunderland and Ne ...
References
England football derbies
Middlesbrough F.C.
Sunderland A.F.C.
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