Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!
In the beginning… Long before Sunderland AFC Women existed in name, before the academy became a conveyor belt of international talent and before the club’s story was intertwined with the rise of the women’s game, there was “Cowgate Kestrels”, a small team from Newcastle that was built on community spirit and the sheer love of […]
It had been 27 years since Brian Clough had graced the turf at Roker Park as a Sunderland player, but a record of 63 goals in 74 appearances would ensure that on this in 1991, he would receive a hero’s welcome on Wearside. The man in charge at Roker at the time was Denis Smith, […]
Robin Roefs: 7/10 Never tested by the home side, other than punching out a shot in the first half but was his usual calm self around the box and in possession. Trai Hume: 7/10 Pretty comfortable defensively and tidy in possession, almost scored with a really good first time effort from a high ball but […]
Later in the year, Sunderland would apply for entry into the Football League but prior to that, their seasons were predominantly made up of friendly and exhibition games. Whilst already established as the strongest team in the county, matches against sides from further afield took on extra significance as not only were they often lucrative […]
The 2025/2026 season has been anything but straightforward for Sunderland Women. A campaign already marked by inconsistency and uneven performances has now been further disrupted by a trio of postponed fixtures: the away match against Durham Women, a home meeting with Sheffield United, and most recently, the home clash with Nottingham Forest. For a team […]
Martin Wanless predicts… Score prediction: Oxford 1 Sunderland 2 Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Chemsdine Talbi We’ll surely put out a strong team today, just as we did at Everton, and we’ll need to as it’ll be a tough fixture. Given the opposition, it’s likely we’ll go back to a more attacking setup, and I fancy us […]
In what is a nice change of pace from the fun and frolics of the Premier League, today we find ourselves back in FA Cup action away at Oxford United. Join Gav, Andrew and Jonny as they preview this afternoon’s game! All of this and more – get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you […]
Back in late December, Gary Rowett was sacked as Oxford manager. What were the key things that went wrong? I think in any managerial tenure there is a point where everybody gets a little sick of one another. Without doubt, I think this happened here and I don’t think Gary Rowett was at all disappointed […]
Sunday 15th February 2026 Oxford United v Sunderland FA Cup Fourth Round Kassam Stadium Kick-Off: 14:00 Tickets & Match Coverage Tickets: Tickets are sold out. TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available via Discovery+. Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online) Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the […]
After two big games in the last week, Regis Le Bris has a big decision to make in terms of team selection – do we treat the FA Cup game today at Oxford in the same way we’d would a league game, or do we rotate to give players valuable minutes. As at Everton, I think […]
Admittedly, we didn’t think we’d be catching up again so soon after our summer debrief, but the FA Cup likes to throw up surprises, and since Sunderland are heading to take on Oxford United on Sunday in the fourth round, we thought it would only be right to get our old mate George Elek (host […]
Despite stating that Birmingham City were underdogs coming into this FA Cup fifth-round tie, Sunderland were thankful to striker Kevin Kyle for securing a 1-1 draw that would keep them in the competition another few days at the very least. An amazing individual strike from Mikael Forssell fired Birmingham into a 27th-minute lead, working his […]
Born in Newcastle — in times when it wasn’t a big issue to Sunderland fans where he came from — Dennis Tueart came through the club’s youth system. Tueart actually started out as a striker which came to serve him well in his senior career as he himself described himself as a ‘right-footed left winger’ […]
Andy says… Shocked — well, initially I was. This man was responsible for the turnaround of our club over the past four to five years. He oversaw the rebuild of our beleaguered squad in League One and ushered in a new era where a home was made for our youth-inspired recruits. It felt like he […]
On 14 February this year it will be half a century since a shy, unaffiliated, nine-year-old lad had a Valentine’s Day encounter with the phenomenon that is Sunderland AFC that left him hooked and obsessed and destined for a lifetime of joys, wonders and sorrows following a club with no notion of mid-table mediocrity! On […]
Sunderland AFC have announced that Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman will leave the club with immediate effect. What does all of this mean for things going forward? Join us as we react to the news! All of this and more – get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free […]
The name Kristjaan Speakman was once one that divided Sunderland fans, with a lot of anger aimed at him particularly in the 2023/24 season. His control of transfers in the model of the club garnered lots of praise and at times, lots of criticism which was only very rarely justified. Speakman joined the club back […]
We’ve had a chance to take a breath after the Liverpool game so we can reflect on the defeat, as well as seeing where we stand after the recent run of results and looking forward to the FA Cup! Luckily we have the company of Simon O’Rourke to help us make sense of it all! […]
The cold seems to come in sideways at Eppleton. It always has, and even on days when the sun sits low and orange over the stand, there’s a bite in the air that seems stitched into the place, as if the ground remembers every winter it’s ever endured. On this particular afternoon, the wind is […]
Ciaran McKenna says… Suffering back-to-back league defeats and losing our impervious home record were tough blows to take but losing to one of the best teams in the world — and the reigning league champions at that — is nothing to be ashamed of. Oxford provides a good opportunity to get back on track, but […]
We’ve seen this before. It’s a familiar movie, with the same script, a different director and different subject matter, yet the same core theme — a Sunderland player becoming a lightning rod for the team’s failure to perform on any given day. For years, the starring role was played by Luke O’Nien, ludicriously branded a […]
History would suggest that at this point of the Division Three campaign, the mood around the club was fairly buoyant. Denis Smith had taken over, we’d been top of the table since mid-October, and we were unbeaten in the league since a 2-1 Halloween reverse at Notts County. However, a disappointing single-goal reverse endured by […]
Losing away at Arsenal (the soon-to-be Premier League champions) and then at home against Liverpool (the reigning trophy-holders) is not the disaster that some social media dwellers would have you believing if you took their words with anything more than a shovelful of salt. Yes, it’s perfectly understandable that Sunderland would drop points against such […]
Konaté and Van Dijk vs Brobbey It’s fair to say that Brobbey was absolutely marshalled out of the game by Liverpool’s centre-halves yesterday. He’s often a huge source of attacking intent and influence for the team but wasn’t able to get a foothold in the game against two players in Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima […]
John Wilson says… Goodbye George A fitting tribute to lifelong supporter George, both on 26 minutes and at half-time. I Couldn’t Get A Ticket For The Game. A lovely sentiment and tribute. Sunderland ‘Til I Die — never a truer word. Enzo A bright star in a mostly mundane performance. His talent shone through when […]