THE passion barely bubbled, the fire flickered rather than roared. Yes, the Tees-Wear derby is a second division derby; a world away from the fierce rivalry inspired by the Sunderland-Newcastle clashes. On Wearside, in particular, the game barely rates on the Richter scale when there is still the far more mouth-watering prospect of a game against Newcastle United to look forward to. Sunderland did their bit to produce a derby atmosphere, bringing 2800 fans – the biggest away following of the season at the Riverside – down the A19, but the empty seats in the home end showed that this is fixture is just not ‘box office’ in the same way as the epic battles between Tyneside and Wearside. So it takes something really special to lift a Tees-Wear game above the morass. And how often do you see a real humdinger of a derby, even when it is a real grudge match? They are rare enough to stick long in the memory when they do occur. This was no such classic – not by a long stick of chalk. Certainly it wasn’t one for the footballing purists. But what it lacked in entertainment, it more than made up for in action. Barely 75 seconds were on the clock before the blue touchpaper was lit, with Sunderland striking the first blow. And how ironic was it that Boro midfielder Julio Arca – a fans’ favourite during his six years on Wearside – was the man who gave the ball away to scorer Grant Leadbitter. Arca instantly climbed a rung higher on the Sunderland legend ladder! But he moved back three places when he atoned for that error by equalising in front of the Sunderland fans, although he commendably kept his celebrations low key. Arca’s journey from hero to villain (or vice-versa, depending on your allegiance) will end up in casualty today, when he goes in for a scan on a suspected medial knee ligament rupture. The little Argentinian hobbled off before the half-hour and was carried away on a stretcher, but his premature exit was greeted by warm applause from both home and away fans, proving that there were no hard feelings on either part. Arca’s departure took some of the gloss off the occasion and what little needle there was between the sides dissipated, returning only when a second-half tussle between Leadbitter and Lee Cattermole briefly threatened to turn into a brawl. Boro got their noses in front when Stewart Downing, who spent a loan spell on Wearside three years ago, netted midway through the second period and at that point it was one-way traffic, with the home side favourites to win. Only a stunning late strike from sub Liam Miller snatched a point for Sunderland and avoided Keane’s 50th game in charge ending in defeat. So where does this leave the two clubs? With Boro established in the Premiership and Sunderland the newcomers, expectations are very different on Teesside to Wearside. But you get the impression that these two sides will inhabit the same third of the table come next May. Boro will be hoping for better, but it seems unlikely. Sunderland just want to secure their future in the top flight after their yo-yo years. So there is no doubt that Sunderland will have been happier with a point than Boro. Particularly when you consider that Sunderland forced a draw despite never really getting out of second gear at the Riverside, while Boro dominated the bulk of the game. Never mind. The 137th Tees-Wear derby ended honours even. No one lost face. | 
