Former Sunderland fan favourite Stephane Sessegnon has today spoke about his love for the Tyne-Wear derby, describing the game as ‘unbelievable’.
Sessegnon scored in Sunderland’s first of five derby victories, back in 2013 when the Black Cats defeated their neighbours at St James’ Park by three goals to nil.
“Yes, I had some really good experiences against Newcastle, and also some bad ones. You’ve got to say that the best one was the 3-0 at Newcastle, where I scored and we all we played so well.
“I remember getting to the edge of the area and just deciding to have a shot,” said Sessegnon. I was surprised that it went in the bottom corner, but it was a great feeling.
“Then Adam Johnson and David Vaughan scored two brilliant goals to give us a 3-0 win. That one was such a great victory for the whole club.
“At that time, the team wasn’t doing well in the league and really needed to win, and what’s more they hadn’t beaten Newcastle in a long time. So to win there, score three times, with the quality of those goals, was the positive we needed to stay up at the end of the season.”
The 31-year old who now plays at West Brom, still speaks of his love and respect for the club and insisted that he would be firmly backing the Black Cats on Sunday in the first Tyne-Wear derby of the season.
“The atmosphere in that game was unbelievable… it’s just exceptional.For the fans, for the players, it’s a great occasion if you’re playing in England.
“It’s good to see that Sunderland have had such a good record against Newcastle in the last few years. I’ve got so much respect for the club, everyone knows that. I wish Sam Allardyce and the team all the best on Sunday.”
