Bankes to take charge of derby showdown

SUNDERLAND and Newcastle United now know that the man in charge of Sunday's Wear-Tyne derby is Peter Bankes.

- By ROSS GREGORY

Eddie Smart and Blake Antrobus will run the lines, while Simon Hooper has been confirmed as fourth official. Stuart Attwell will oversee VAR at Stockley Park, assisted by Alex Chilowicz.

This weekend's showdown (kickoff 2pm) sees both teams heading into the fixture under pressure and with important selection calls to make.

Sunderland have dropped to ninth after Manchester United's win at Wolves on Monday night and have just one win from their last six Premier League matches.

Newcastle have won three and drawn one of their last four and are improving after an uneven start to their season.

Meanwhile, Sunderland - who will be heading to Everton's recently opened Hill Dickinson Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup next month - have also announced ticketing information for next month's Premier League fixture against Brentford.

The Black Cats will head to the Gtech Community Stadium on Wednesday, January 7 (7.30pm) - just ahead of the Cup weekend.

The Bees have provided a ticket allocation of 1,725, including 28 wheelchair bays, with paper tickets being issued.