Match Report: Team Sunderland Men’s 5ths 3- 1 Teesside Men’s 3rds
A late abandonment marred a well-deserved victory with ugly scenes at the end of Team Sunderland 5ths clash with Teesside 3rds.
Team Sunderland opened the scoring with a quarter-of-an-hour played, but Teesside drew level just eight minutes later.
The home side reinstated their lead on the brink of halftime before adding a third in the 56th minute to seal victory.
The visitors’ temper reached boiling point with the game nearing a close, causing the game to be abandoned.
It marked a special day for Team Sunderland as they earned their first win since October when they overcame Team Sunderland 6ths in a derby day encounter.
Teesside started the match the stronger side, with a variety of shots saved by Oscar Davis. However, after 15 minutes a superb long pass from Davis was latched onto by Luca Hearn, who lobbed the keeper putting the hosts 1-0 up.
It took just eight minutes for Teesside to strike back level after a fantastic long strike by Ismail Hasan into the top right corner.
On the brink of half time, Team Sunderland’s Adam Richardson made it 2-1 to the home side netting a wonderous free=kick which danced through the wind and over the stunned Teesside goalkeeper.
Sunderland sealed victory just 16 minutes into the second half, a fantastic run by Phillip Cassidy was rewarded when Fin Miller tapped home his cross across the box.
Teesside’s frustrations began to show as three players were yellow carded in the space of 10 minutes. One of those was given to Martin Senanay for a clear foul on Davis earned him a yellow, before receiving his marching orders shortly later.
After a mass gathering ensued on the pitch, Senanay was lauded off it by a spectator on the sidelines, causing the Teesside man’s temper to grow to blows as he sprinted off the pitch before launching into an Eric Cantona-esque kung fu kick to the onlooker leaving the referee with no choice other than to call for the game abandonded.
Despite an uncontrolled away side it did not under shadow an excellent win and performance from Team Sunderland, with the points remaining on Wearside owing to the fact over 75% of the game had been completed.
