Opportunity knocked - and Magpies blew it

THIS was the prolonging of derby agony.

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Nick Woltemade after his own goal

A return to the dark days we hoped we had left behind. Life can be cruel and torture can be self-inflicted.I had suffered through nine winless Premier League derbies of relentless frustration. They spanned thirteen-and-a-half grim hours and 14 years.

It had been an unforgiving grind of nightmare memories.... Paolo Di Canio doing a two-knee slide down the touchline despite his expensive Italian suit, Gus Poyet going ape again at St James' Park after an Adam Johnson 90th-minute winner.

To every suffering Geordie victory felt so long ago that Boudica was riding her chariot across Northumberland's moors when we last tasted sweet nectar. It was in fact August of 2011 and Ryan Taylor's 'over the wall' delight on Sunderland's own patch of green which made it all the sweeter.