Away from those heady, European adventures, there’s not been too much to shout about for fans of both Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest this season.

Step forward Friday Night football, live from the Stadium of Light; Newcastle, they’ve lost twice to rivals Sunderland this season (defeats that for Forest fans would be akin to losing to Derby County, unforgivable).

Personally, as Newcastle United/Ipswich Town (my grandfather, also Peter, was from Suffolk), Newcastle vs. Sunderland takes on a bit extra bite with my father being a staunch Sunderland fan, as well as several friends – it’s not been fun of late…

I’ve watched Sunderland a few times this season, the derbies aside, they’ve been relatively decent. However, I wasn’t going to watch Forest’s trip to Wearside, a film was my mindset, but I changed my mind, thankfully, at the last minute.

For the first 45 minutes I spent it annoying my father, whilst watching fellow Mags on social chanting ‘Champions League, you’re having a laugh,’ mocking at the Sky Sports commentary pre-match about the hosts’ potentially moving into a much loftier league position.

An own-goal from Sunderland defender, Trai Hume, was laughed at on Tyneside, whilst a quick-fire triple hit just after the half hour had Tyneside delirious, and visiting Forest fans, ecstatic, as the Reds went from one to four goals to the good, in the blink of an eye.

Former Mag, Chris Wood, who spent a season-and-a-half on Tyneside (2022-23) before moving to Trentside in January ’23, and has been finding a new lease of life in Garibaldo Red, he slotted the ball into an empty netting following a misplaced clearance from home shot-stopper, Robin Roefs.

Captain Morgan Gibbs-White, he quickly added the Reds’ third, taking his tally to five in his last three outings (MGW fired a hat-trick in the 4-1 win over Burnley), before Brazilian hitman, Igor Jesus, bagged the fourth on 37 minutes.

BBC Sport said “this is getting silly now,” as Forest fans cheered, and Geordies everywhere laughed; it’s our rivals, we’re allowed; 4-0 down, and my father is tearing his hair; he’s swearing at me, telling me he’d never be like this with me, said he was turning off his phone and going to bed.

Onto the second half, and it was quiet in comparison; there was a flashpoint though when, just after the hour mark, it looked like Sunderland had pulled one back following a rare foray into the Forest box.

Dan Ballard was on-hand to put the ball past another ex-Magpie, goalkeeper Matz Sels, but VAR stepped in, initially looking at a potential offside for Nordi Mukiele, then a potential foul on Sels by the same player.

The more you watched that back, the more obvious a foul it was (honestly), as referee Darren England was sent to the pitch-side monitor to check things over. No offside, but the

foul, Mukiele takes out Sels’ right leg, with former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sunderland striker, Don Goodman, saying of the incident that; “Mukiele’s follow through takes Sels’ right leg. It might be ruled out. His momentum takes him towards the keeper and he catches him, which maybe stops him from diving and getting a fist to the ball.”

My father, he’s gone quiet at this point, and I’m just enjoying a game of football, well enjoying Forest playing a game of football; credit where due though, the hosts did put a little fight in the second half.

It was all for nothing though when, come the closing minutes, the ‘Geordie Maradona,’ as he was lovingly nicknamed on Tyneside, Elliot Anderson, who joined Forest in the summer of 2024, a move which still hurts the Toon Army, popped up with the fifth.

Driving a Geordie knife through Sunderland ‘hearts,’ Taiwo Awoniyi held the ball up at the end of a rare, second half foray, and Anderson was on-hand to stroke the ball into Roefs’ bottom corner.

A loss felt on both Tyneside, and Trentside, Anderson recently lost his mother, Helen Anderson, and afterwards, the England international said of Forest’s form, and his goal; “We are on a good run at the minute. It’s taken a while but we fully believe in ourselves. The manager is right behind us and we are enjoying it.

“(I’m) really happy with it, and really happy to score here as well. I just know that my Mum would have been really proud with that one so I’m happy.”

Not only would his mother have been proud of that one, but the entire Geordie Nation was as well; there may not have been much to shout about in the Tyne-Wear, we’ll readily admit that one, but, thanks to the Reds’ ex-Geordies, Matz Sels, Elliot Anderson, and Chris Wood, we can at least shout about something – they sure will.

For Forest, the 5-0 win over Sunderland moves them eight points clear of third bottom Tottenham Hotspur, with a handful of league games, and a Europa League semi-final, to come.

To all at Nottingham Forest, from the Geordie Nation, thank you, we enjoyed that one just as much as you all did.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @NFFC Chris Wood & Morgan Gibbs-White both on the scoresheet at Sunderland.