BBC · Jan 22, 2023
Championship: Sunderland host Middlesbrough in Wear-Tees derby
The fanaticism of north east football supporters will be a badge worn proudly today at the Stadium of Light as a bumper crowd converges on the old site of the Monkwearmouth colliery to cheer their respective teams.
It's an aspect that boss Tony Mowbray, still a hero of Teesside despite his Sunderland links these days, is keen to tap into.
"I would just urge the fans to be as they are, and be as positive as we are, and that's why I say to the team we have to play forward, to put the ball in the box and be aggressive," Mowbray told BBC Newcastle.