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  • Date: 2007-12-01
  • Kick-off: 15:00
  • Venue: Stadium of Light
  • Attendance: 42380
  • Referee: Halsey, M

Live Commentary

90mins

Mark Halsey blows the final whistle and Sunderland steal the victory from Derby

90mins

SUNDERLAND 1 - 0 DERBY (STOKES): Anthony Stokes some how scrambled the ball over the line and puts Sunderland ahead in the 92nd minute

89mins

The fourth official indicates three minutes of added time

86mins

Derby win a free kick in a good position on the right side, but Howard's header from the cross was caught by Darren Ward

85mins

Robert Earnshaw replaces Kenny Miller

84mins

Gary Teale is replaced by Dean Leacock

83mins

Grant Leadbitter is replaced by Liam Miller

82mins

Sunderland win a corner after some good exchanges between Leadbitter and Stokes but Wallace's cross is cleared to safety by Derby

80mins

Danny Collins resorts to shooting from thirty yards out but his shot was always rising and it went flying over the bar

80mins

Neither team have created any clear chances to score this half and the game has been a disappointment following the excitement of the first half

77mins

Craig Fagan tries his luck with a drilled shot from twenty five yards but it was blocked by Danny Higginbotham

75mins

Carlos Edwards can not continue and is replaced by Anthony Stokes

73mins

Carlos Edwards goes down for Sunderland after he committed a foul on McEveley and looks in a lot of discomfort

71mins

Giles Barnes is replaced by Craig Fagan

70mins

The game is getting very scrappy now and both teams look nervous to concede a goal

68mins

James McEveley got down the left for Derby and fired an ambitious thirty five yard shot at Darren Ward who caught it comfortably

65mins

Sunderland simply can not put the ball in the back of the net this afternoon, first Leadbitter had his shot blocked by McEveley and then Whitehead's shot looked to be heading for the bottom corner but it was his own man Chopra who blocked his shot

62mins

Michael Chopra replaces Andy Cole for Sunderland

61mins

Up goes Steve Howard in the box once again and once again his header goes wide of the mark for Derby, but Sunderland are still having trouble stopping their crosses into the penalty area

59mins

Finally Mark Halsey wears down the lead of his pencil with the name of James McEveley going into his notebook, much to the joy of the Sunderland fans

57mins

Mark Halsey is letting the players get away with murder today, this time it was Darren Moore who indiscretely clattered into the back of Kenwyne Jones but some how escaped a booking

55mins

Sunderland then wasted the opportunity of the free kick in a very good position and Derby cleared comfortably

54mins

I don't know how James McEveley hasn't been booked by Halsey for a nasty challenge on Dean Whitehead was hurt by the challenge

52mins

Suprisingly the game is still a stalemate but i wouldn't bet against goals being scored the second half of this game

49mins

The Sunderland fans had their heart's in their mouths as Danny Collins almost sold Darren Ward short with a clumsy back pass

47mins

Darren Ward dropped the ball once again as he came to claim the corner but some how Sunderland got the ball out of the penalty area and to safety

46mins

Sunderland get the game back underway and hopefully the second half is just as ecxiting as the first

45mins

It's half time here at the Stadium of Light and goaless

44mins

A miraculous miss from Kenwyne Jones once again as Stephen Bywater spilled Grant Leadbitter's shot and all Jones needed to to was side foot the ball through the Sunderland defenders, but he fired the ball off the upright

43mins

Darren Ward has been the busier of the two Goalkeepers, but only because Derby have hit the target and Sunderland have not

41mins

Derby so close to a goal once again as Darren Ward came to claim a corner, he lost the ball after Ross Wallace clattered into his own 'Keeper and Steve Howard turned and hit the ball goal bound, only for Sunderland to clear the ball off the line

38mins

A terrific finger-tip save from Darren Ward in the Sunderland goal as he got down low to tip Kenny Miller's fierce shot onto the post and Sunderland get away scot-free

35mins

Andrew Griffin crossed the ball into the area for Derby which saw Darren Ward come to collect in no mans land, but Steve Howard put his header onto the roof of the net and failed to capitalise on Sunderland's mistake

33mins

It looked like Kenwyne Jones miss-hit his left footed shot, but it went narrowly over the cross bar much to the surprise to Stephen Bywater

31mins

Roy Keane has got to be believing that one of these chances his team has been getting will surely be converted soon

29mins

Carlos Edwards this time for Sunderland wrapped his right foot around the ball and sent it just wide of Bywater's post

28mins

Kenwyne Jones turned Claude Davis about twenty five yards out from goal, turned his marker and drilled a right footed shot that Darren Moore bravely blocked for Derby

26mins

Greg Halford showed good determination by driving forward from right back, going past two Derby players and firing a shot over the bar but showing the conviction that I'm sure Roy Keane will want to see from his players

23mins

It was harder to miss the target but Kenwyne Jones failed to make the most of his opportunity and put a left foot shot wide of the post, much to the disaray of Roy Keane

21mins

Sunderland are creating some chances put have failed to make any of them count so far, but they are definately looking the more likely team to score at the minute

20mins

Once again Andy Cole found space in the penalty area as he pulled away from his marker and tried to place a header into the far corner of the goal, but the ball went inches wide of the mark

18mins

Andy Cole misses another golden chance, this time Ross Wallace did brilliantly to whip the ball accross the goal mouth and Cole put it over the bar from just six yards out

16mins

Paul McShane gives away a free kick half way in his own half with some clumsy defending, unfortunately possible deja vu from last week

14mins

Andy Cole went close with a well taken left foot shot inside the penalty area but his effort just going past the wrong side of the upright

12mins

Sunderland enjoyed a good spell of possession for around two minutes, putting Derby under pressure and winning two corners that came of nothing for the home side

9mins

Darren Ward called into action for the first time as Steve Howard brought the ball down on his chest and Giles Barnes smashed a shot from around thirty yards out, but Ward gathered it safely

7mins

Giles Barnes was lucky to get away without a yellow card from Mark Halsey after he caught Greg Halford with a late tackle

5mins

Carlos Edwards dribbled down the right and got into a good position to put the ball in the penalty area but he miss-hit his cross and sent the ball out for a goal kick

3mins

The home side had their first chance of the game when Danny Higginbotham got his head to Grant Leadbitter's free kick but Stephen Bywater in the Derby goal saved comfortably

1mins

Ross Wallace clatters into his first tackle and clearly shows Sunderland's intent in the opening minute

1mins

The away side get the game underway at the Stadium of Light

0mins

The referee today is Mark Halsey (Lancarshire).

0mins

Derby's new boss Paul Jewell has a virtually full fit squad for his first game in charge and not suprisingly recalls Kenny Miller and Claude Davis to the starting line-up, but Dean Leacock has to settle for a place on the bench.

0mins

Kenwyne Jones, Dean Whitehead and Carlos Edwards have all been passed fit after recovering from injuries, but Roy Keane is without Nyron Nosworthy who has a hamstring problem.

0mins

Derby County Line-up: Bywater, Griffin, Davis, Moore, McEveley, Teale, Oakley, Pearson, Barnes, Howard, Miller

0mins

Sunderland Line-up: Ward, Halford, McShane, Higginbotham, Collins, Edwards, Leadbitter, Whitehead, Wallace, Jones, Cole

Match Preview

Sunderland manager Roy Keane has promised to ring the changes for this weekend's relegation six-pointer against Derby County following the embarrassing 7-1 thrashing at Everton.

Keane is confident that Kenwyne Jones will be fit enough to play against the Rams despite suffering a rib injury at Goodison Park.

The former Manchester United star told Sunderland's official website: "Kenwyne is full steam ahead and we picked up no more fresh injuries from the weekend.

"There's a good chance I'll make one or two changes to freshen it up and give the lads who've been waiting in the wings an opportunity."

However, Nyron Nosworthy (hamstring), Russell Anderson (ankle), Stanislav Varga (knee) and Kieran Richardson (back) are all expected to miss out.

Saturday's game has become a must-win encounter for the Black Cats as the Everton defeat left them in the bottom three.

Since beating Reading in mid-September, they have failed to win in eight matches, picking up only three points and conceding 20 goals.

At least their record at the Stadium of Light is presentable, losing to only Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers, while on their travels they have taken only two points from eight games.

Rock-bottom Derby County will be hoping that the arrival of a new manager will revive their fortunes.

Billy Davies was axed on Monday and, within 48 hours, former Wigan Athletic boss Paul Jewell had been presented as the Scot's successor.

Jewell has a tough task lifting confidence at Pride Park though as County have failed to score in their last six Premier League matches, picking up only one point - at Fulham - in the process.

They have a terrible away record, with the goalless draw at Craven Cottage being the only point they have secured away from Pride Park.

They have still to score away from home and have conceded 19 goals, being thrashed by Tottenham (4-0), Liverpool (6-0) and Arsenal (5-0) in the process.

A 5-0 drubbing at home to West Ham United three weeks ago even suggested the Rams could be on course to beat Sunderland's dismal record low points tally of 15 in the Premier League two seasons ago.

Match Report

Substitute Anthony Stokes struck a last-gasp winner to save Sunderland's blushes against rock-bottom Derby County at the Stadium of Light.

The Irishmen needed two bites of the cherry to apply the finishing touch after Rams keeper Stephen Bywater had pulled off an excellent double save.

But the Black Cats striker hooked the ball over his shoulder and into the net to break Derby hearts in time added on at the end of the 90 minutes.

It was more than the home side deserved but that won't worry boss Roy Keane who looked a mightily relieved man as the ball nestled in the back of the Derby goal.

Keane dropped record signing Craig Gordon, striker Michael Chopra and defender Ian Harte as he rang the changes following last weekend's 7-1 drubbing at Everton.

The Sunderland boss no doubt hoped that by bringing Darren Ward, Greg Halford and Andrew Cole into his side it would revitalise the team.

However, it failed to have the desired effect as the Wearsiders laboured in front of goal and wasted possession in the middle of the park on far too many occasions.

Ward did make one great save in the first half to deny Kenny Miller, tipping the Scot's goalbound effort onto the post.

It was the Rams who looked the brighter of the two sides in the opening half although to be fair there wasn't much in it.

Neither team really produced anything in the way of entertaining football with Miller's shot and a Kenwyne Jones strike which came back off the post the closest either side came to opening their account in the first half.

In fact the game looked to be heading for a no-score bore draw before Stokes applied the finishing touch for Sunderland's goal.

The result was harsh on County who find themselves rooted to the bottom of the table and in particular on Bywater who denied both Stokes and Jones in the build-up to the winner.

Liam Miller's cross into the area was met by the head of Jones, but Bywater produced an excellent one-handed stop only for the ball to find Stokes.

The former West Ham United keeper then somehow managed to get a hand to the Irish striker's header but, when the ball came back to Stokes, the Rams keeper could only look on in despair as the Sunderland forward hooked the ball over his shoulder and into the net.

It was relief all round for the home supporters among the 42,380 crowd while the Derby fans must have felt like they had been mugged.

A draw would have been a fair result as neither team deserved anything from a dreadful afternoon's football. On this showing it looks like it could be a long, hard and fruitless season for both Rams and Black Cats alike.

Sunderland

Derby County

Corners

53

Fouls

1215

Goal attempts

2012

Shots off target

102

Offsides

12

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