All square - but women's football the real winner

It’s honours even in the Women’s Championship after the conclusion of the three-way North East derbies over the last month. 

And while there were away day successes for all three victors, the real winner is women’s football.

Durham, Sunderland and Newcastle United all took a win apiece from the three games over the last three weekends - with all three away teams winning the three points.

And the three games attracted a collective crowd of more than 20000, including the highest attendance ever for a women’s second tier match.

The region’s three clubs are competing in the division below the WSL for the first time and the fixture list computer construed a hat-trick of Sunday afternoon clashes at all three North East grounds for the first three weeks of October.

Durham Women won the first game at Newcastle’s Kingston Park with a last minute winner, before Newcastle clinched the Wear-Tyne derby at the Stadium of Light fairly comfortably a week later and then on Sunday, Sunderland came from behind to win at Durham University’s Maiden Castle ground to bring points’ parity to the trio.

While Durham Women’s head of football Lee Sanders was frustrated by his team’s defeat at home to Sunderland in testing wintry conditions at the weekend, the veteran of the women’s game in the North East could see the bigger picture after the conclusion of the first round derby league matches.

And he has no doubt there are promising signs that the game is continuing to grow in the area and attract new and younger crowds.

Lee told Bdaily: “It’s honours even between the three teams and I just think it’s genuinely good for the area. 

“We need to encourage more young girls and women to get involved in the game and I know it's a bit clichéd, but if they can't see it, they can't be it, and now they can see it every week now and it doesn't matter whether it’s in Durham, Sunderland or Newcastle.

“We have seen all three teams are capable of challenging for promotion to the WSL and there are some quality players in all three teams.

“We've had a good start this season, we've played six games, won four, we should’ve won five and we didn’t get anything out of the Sunderland game, but it’s fair, it’s football, that’s what happens.

“We’ve had our fair share of success so far this season, we've just got to dust ourselves down and just get back and roll with it. That's just one more game for me.” 

Mel Reay’s Sunderland, who did the double over Durham last season, came from behind in blustery conditions in front of 1039 brave fans on Sunday to clinch only their second win of the season.

Hannah Blake put the home side in front after nine minutes before Eleanor Dale equalised from the penalty spot after Becky Salicki’s foul on the former Durham striker. Wales international Mary McAteer clinched the three points shortly after half-time.

Sunderland were unable to stage a similar comeback the previous week in the family friendly Wear-Tyne derby before 15387 at the Stadium of Light when Beth Lumsden’s brace was enough to clinch an impressive away win for Becky Langley’s side, despite a late scare following Emily’s Scarr consolation for the hosts.

And in the first game at Kingston Park, attended by 3586 supporters, a last-gasp goal from Mollie Lambert sealed the Newcastle-Durham clash with visiting keeper Tatiana Saunders twice denying Toon captain Amber-Keegan Stobbs to ensure a surprise win against one of the Championship’s promotion favourites.

All three teams have promotion aspirations this season but hare struggled to find consistency in their first six games - Newcastle dropped two points while Durham and Sunderland were meeting on Sunday when they squandered a two-goal lead at early leaders Charlton who scored two goals in added time.

Those weekend results leave Durham in fourth, four points behind leaders Birmingham City with a game in hand, with Charlton and London City also above them and Newcastle a point behind in fifth. Sunderland are four points behind their Geordie rivals in eighth, despite the win at Durham.

The women’s professional leagues have a gap for the international break this weekend and the North East teams resume the following Sunday when Sunderland host Bristol City at their usual Eppleton Colliery Welfare home, Durham are at Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle travel to leaders Birmingham.

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