Sunderland under-21 head coach Graeme Murty praised Aji Alese after the defender made his first appearance in over a year, playing the first half in the U21s' 1-1 draw with Newcastle United. GOOD FOR THE SQUAD “Aji will be guided by the first team. He’s been great getting around the group. He’s just such a good person all round. He’s good for the young players. He talks to them really well, he talks to them correctly, holds them to a standard, and we’re pleased that he’s managed to get some...

On this day in 2015, Sunderland defeated Newcastle United 3-0 at the Stadium of Light to make it six derby victories in a row. Not only was this game about bragging rights, it also had a massive impact on the Premier League relegation battle. It was Sam Allardyce’s second game in charge and the Lads were looking to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat down at the Hawthorns. Allardyce made three changes to the starting 11, bringing in players like Jeremain Lens and Ola Toivonen in hope to change...

On this day in 2000, Stanislav Varga made his debut for Sunderland in a 1-0 win against Arsenal at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland were...