Played for Both XI: A squad of players who have played for Sunderland & Portsmouth!

GK - Mart Poom

Poooooom! What a keeper and what a header! Mart Poom was at Portsmouth for three years in the mid-1990s, only making four appearances.

His career took off after moving to Derby from Pompey in 1997 before moving on to play for the Lads where he made 68 appearances between 2002 and 2005 scoring one goal - a bullet header away to his former club Derby.

RB - Nyron Nosworthy

After seeing Nosworthy in one of his early games for the lads (away to Middlesbrough, I think) concede a corner whilst attempting a back pass to the keeper from the halfway line, I could never imagine he’d end up player of the season a year later.

However, he did, and he also managed 125 games for Sunderland between 2005 and 2010. He makes this team at right-back for his loan spell at Pompey in 2015 where he managed seven games.

CB - Kevin Ball

What can I say about Kevin Ball?

Club captain almost the entire nine years he was at Sunderland, twice player of the year, youth team coach, reserve team coach, twice caretaker manager, ambassador and all round club legend.

Before all that he started his career at Portsmouth making over 100 appearances from signing as a professional in 1982, to signing for the lads in 1990.

Getty Images

CB - Younès Kaboul

Kaboul joined Pompey in 2008 for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £6 million, and went on to make 39 appearances over two years there. After five years at Spurs, Kaboul joined Sunderland, and despite only making 24 appearances for Sunderland during the 205-16 season, he formed a solid partnership with Lamine Koné under Sam Allardyce.

Special mention to his run and assist against the mags in 2015 to supply Steven Fletcher to make it 3-0 with five minutes left, great day.

LB - Paul Hardyman

At left-back we have Paul Hardyman who signed as a professional at Portsmouth on the same day as Kevin Ball and joined Sunderland in 1989 after six years on the south coast.

Hardyman spent three years on wearside making over 100 appearances, with a notable mention for attempting to launch John Burridge to the moon in that play-off semi-final. Now coaching at Southampton.

Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images

RM - Liam Lawrence

Wide right is Liam Lawrence who was signed by Mick McCarthy in the summer of 2004 from Mansfield Town for a bargain £175,000.

He played 80 times for Sunderland between 2004-2006 before moving on to Stoke City. From Stoke City he made the move south to Portsmouth making 41 appearances in the 2011-12 season.

CM - Steve Agnew

The first name down in centre midfield is Steve Agnew. Agnew had a stint on loan at Portsmouth making seven appearances in 1992. It would be three years later in 1995 that Mick Buxton bagged a bargain, signing Agnew from Leicester City for a reported £250,000.

A popular player during his three year stay on Wearside, memories of his wig during the promotion celebrations at Roker in 1996 will live long in the memory.

CM - Sulley Muntari

Muntari joined Pompey in 2007 after five years with Udinese for a fee reported to be around £7.1 million. Going on to make 29 appearances in his first season before signing for Internazionale at the end of it, it was from Inter that Sunderland took him on loan.

Unsurprisingly, after being substituted in 5 of the 7 games he started and coming on as substitute in another two games, the option to sign permanently was not taken up.

LM - Chris Maguire

Wide left of our XI is none other than our current player Chris Maguire. Maguire made 11 appearances on loan with Pompey back in 2012 signing from Derby County ahead of a permanent move to Sheffield Wednesday that summer.

Cruelly ruled out of making the final through injury we hope he’s back to his best soon for our promotion run-in.

Photo by Aubrey Washington/EMPICS via Getty Images

STR - Jermain Defoe

I’ll admit it, even though it looked on paper a good deal swapping him for Jozy Altidore I wasn’t sure he was up for a relegation battle, how wrong could I be?

37 goals in 93 appearances in those struggling teams should be up there as one his greatest achievements. It wasn’t just his goals, he cared, he cried and his bond with Bradley will never be forgotten.

STR - David Connolly

One of Roy Keane’s deadline day signings to kick start our magic carpet ride in 2006, Connelly played an integral part in our promotion campaign scoring 13 goals in 37 appearances.

Due to new signings Connelly didn’t appear in a red and white shirt much after promotion making just five more as substitute over the next two years. Three years later he signed for Portsmouth scoring 11 in 38 games between 2012 and 2015.

---

(SUB) Greg Halford

Easy to forget Halford played for Sunderland, also easy to forget he cost £2.5 million. Never seemed Roy Keane’s cup of tea and made only eight appearances.

He was more successful at Pompey between 2010 and 2012 where he made 75 appearances on the south coast.

(SUB) Tal Ben Haim

Another one where it’s easy to forget pulled on the red and whites, only did this five times in 2009, ahead of a permanent move to Portsmouth that summer from Manchester City going on to make over 50 appearances.

Surprised to read that he is still only 36-years-old, I thought he was about that age when played for us.

(SUB) Benjani Mwaruwari

More simply known as Benjani, the forward had a successful stint at Portsmouth between 2006-2008, this lead to a move to big-spending Manchester City under Sven-Goran Eriksson.

City was where Sunderland loaned Benjani from in 2010 for a forgettable time on Wearside -starting only once in addition to seven substitute appearances whilst scoring zero goals.

Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

(SUB) Lee Power

I was young and foolish, but I remember being excited about us signing Lee Power on loan in 1993, and I was there to witness his only goal in a League Cup first round game at Roker Park vs Chester City.

That was the sum total of his contribution at Sunderland during his six games. This summary of his time on Wearside was repeated two months later with Portsmouth.

(SUB) James Vaughan

A well-documented flop on Wearside under Simon Grayson, was shipped off to Wigan during last season where he also flopped.

Joined Portsmouth in January and is yet to score.

(SUB) Trevor Carson

Technically didn’t play a game for the Lads while he was here between 2005 to 2012, but was an unused substitute on 62 occasions, which is surely some sort of record (let us know if you look it up!).

Had six stints out on loan whilst with Sunderland before leaving for Bury in 2012 where he left to spend a year on loan at Portsmouth during 2013-14 making 37 appearances.