Top Five: Sunderland's Derby Day Victories

5. Newcastle United 1-9 Sunderland, 1908

The next time a friendly Mag reminds you of the Halloween horrorshow and all of the chicken dancing that it involved, point them in the direction of the history books and remind them of Sunderland's biggest league victory on record, and of their own record defeat.

Obviously none of us were around for this one, meaning that it features pretty highly in this list, but it affords the Black Cats the ultimate bragging rights over our neighbours.

Following Hogg's first half goal for the visitors, Newcastle's Shephard levelled the game from the spot, and things were even at the break. However, it wouldn't stay that way for long.

The saying goes that it only takes a second to score a goal, but in reality that isn't always true. However, in 28 second-half minutes that day, Sunderland scored an incredible eight.

Hogg added another two goals to his first-half strike, Bridgett bagged a brace and Holley helped himself to a hat-ttick, before Mordue compounded the hosts' misery.

It's unlikely that we'll ever see a scoreline like this again in the derby, so having a look back to it every now and then can only be a good thing.

4. Newcastle United 1-4 Sunderland, 1979

If there was ever anything that will ensure that you go down in Sunderland history as a legend, it's scoring a hat-trick at St James's Park, something that Gary Rowell did in this game.

In February of 1979, under the stewardship of Billy Elliott, Sunderland traveled to Newcastle and came away handsome winners thanks to Rowell's heroics. Of his 103 goals that he scored for the Black Cats, these are the three that will be most well remembered.

Putting the visitors two goals to the good before John Connolly got one back for the Magpies, Rowell completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, before Wayne Entwhistle added a fourth for good measure.

Rowell says of that day: "If someone asked if you could score a hat-trick, and granted you a wish to score it against any team you wanted, a hundred out of a hundred Sunderland fans would say they'd love to score it at Newcastle. I was fortunate enough to be able to do that."

Here are the goals, in all of their wonderful glory.

3. Newcastle United 0-2 Sunderland, 1990

Our friends over at St James's have never been the most hospitable bunch, but who would have expected them to actually try and get a game abandoned by invading the pitch?

In the second leg of the Division Two playoff semi finals, Sunderland went to St James's on the back of a 0-0 draw in the home tie, and would leave as victors thanks to the combination of two strikers on the top of their game, the 'G Force'.

Eric Gates and Marco Gabbiadini stole the headlines as the men in red and white left their biggest rivals in tatters, and the fans attempting to get the game called off.

All three games between the two earlier in the season had resulted in draws, and after surviving the first leg, the home side were favourites to progress, but a Gates goal after 13 minutes, and a Gabbiadini strike after 85, meant that it was the men from Sunderland that would go on to Wembley.

2. Newcastle United 1-2 Sunderland, 1999

Ruud Gullit can look back on this match and know that it was Sunderland that effectively ended his time at Newcastle. As the two huge rivals met at St James's Park, the manager took an unpopular and, in hindsight, ill-advised risk by leaving Alan Shearer on the bench.

With the rain lashing down, and lightning forking across the sky, the weather really was like something out of the bible, and it would be a new Sunderland strike force that would do the damage, in the form of Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn.

Despite Kieron Dyer, who somehow wasn't injured for this one, putting the hosts in front, first Quinn, and then Phillips turned the game on its head, and left the home fans hurting.

The goal will live long in the memory of Sunderland fans, who can close their eyes and see the ball looping from Phillips' foot and over Tommy Wright's head.

1. Sunderland 2-1 Newcastle United, 2008

This game takes top billing in the list due to it being played on Wearside, and containing one of the finest free kicks of all time.

It was pacy frontman Djibril Cisse who handed Sunderland the lead, before Shola Ameobi (who else) headed the visitors level.

But Kieron Richardson hadn't read the script that Newcastle had established over the years, and his free kick would hit the back of the net while Shay Given was almost horizontal in mid air.

Here it is, in all its glory. Sit back and enjoy.