Today’s column comes from Gareth Barker.

I HATE the Wear Tyne derby.

It’s the first set of fixtures I look for when they come out, but mainly to see how far apart they are and how long it is until the first one. The sick feeling in the stomach that exists in the build-up is something that’s never subsided over my years supporting Sunderland.

It’s a nagging feeling, like I’ve forgotten something really important, a feeling of dread.

Yet again, we’re faced with a derby fixture that could be season defining. Under Paolo Di Canio and Gus Poyet, we managed to get unlikely and incredible victories. Drama, spectacular goals, Jozy Altidore having a good game; they had everything.

On Easter Sunday, Sunderland need to begin rolling the boulder away from their increasingly dank tomb of disappointment and breathe life into their season.

You can read the article here.