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THE LASSES LEDGER
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There are fixtures where you simply want the result. There are also fixtures where you want the performance — and Sunderland’s meeting with Durham sits somewhere in the middle.
It matters for reasons beyond the league table, yet it’s also a game that demands clarity, identity and conviction. Sunderland have been growing into themselves this season — sometimes slowly and sometimes frustratingly — but always with a sense that something is building beneath the surface. This match is another chance to show that progress is real.
Durham will arrive with their usual blend of physicality, organisation and stubbornness.
They’ll make the game awkward, competitive and will make Sunderland work for every inch. That’s precisely why this fixture is the perfect test of where Sunderland are right now. It’s not just about beating a local opponent — it’s about demonstrating that the Lasses can impose their own ideas on a match that naturally drags teams into chaos.
HETTON-LE-HOLE, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 19: Jessica Brown of Sunderland looks on during the Barclays Women’s Super League 2 match between Sunderland and Durham at Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground on September 19, 2025 in Hetton-le-Hole, England. (Photo by Ed Sykes - WSL/WSL Football via Getty Images)
HETTON-LE-HOLE, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 19: Jessica Brown of Sunderland looks on during the Barclays Women’s Super League 2 match between Sunderland and Durham at Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground on September 19, 2025 in Hetton-le-Hole, England. (Photo by Ed Sykes - WSL/WSL Football via Getty Images)
WSL Football via Getty Images
The first thing I want to see from Sunderland is bravery in possession.
The Lasses have shown glimpses of it this season, and particularly since the turn of the year, but it hasn’t always been sustained. Too often, they’ve grown into games rather than taking control of them and against Durham, that can’t happen. Durham thrive when opponents hesitate, when the game becomes scrappy, when passes are rushed and when midfielders receive the ball with their back to goal and panic under pressure. Sunderland must resist that.
Instead, must play on the half-turn, move the ball quickly and trust their ability to play through the thirds.
Bravery doesn’t mean recklessness. It means composure, choosing the forward pass when it’s on, and switching play decisively rather than recycling possession out of fear. If Sunderland can control the tempo, they can control the match. Durham want chaos — Sunderland must create calm.
The second thing I want to see is purpose in wide areas.
Sunderland’s best football this season has come when their wingers and full backs have combined with confidence. The right hand side in particular has shown flashes of fluidity, with overlapping runs, underlapping movements and quick interchanges that pull defences apart.
Durham’s full backs are strong in individual duels but they can be exposed when forced to defend space rather than bodies. Sunderland must stretch the pitch, drag Durham’s defensive line horizontally and attack the half-spaces with conviction.
Too often in this fixture, Sunderland have allowed the game to become narrow, predictable and congested. This time, they must be the ones to dictate where the match is played. If they can isolate Durham’s full backs, create two-on-one situations and deliver early balls into dangerous areas, they’ll cause problems. The wide areas are where Sunderland can hurt Durham most, and they must lean into that strength.
The third thing I want to see is a willingness to attack from the very first whistle.
Sunderland have spent too many matches this season easing their way into the contest rather than taking control of it. Against Durham, that approach will only invite trouble, so I want to see the Lasses on the front foot immediately, setting the tone, dictating the tempo and forcing Durham to react rather than allowing them to settle into their familiar rhythm.
There’s an edge in this Sunderland side that’s flickered at times but hasn’t been fully unleashed, so this the moment to show it.
Put Durham to the sword early. Press with intent. Move the ball quickly. Play with purpose and show us that “Sunderland bite” we know is there — the quality that’s been simmering beneath the surface all season but has not quite been allowed to take over a game. If Sunderland can start with aggression, confidence and clarity, they can seize control before Durham have the chance to drag the match into the kind of scrappy contest they prefer.
HETTON-LE-HOLE, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 19: Katie Kitching of Sunderland scores her team’s second goal during the Barclays Women’s Super League 2 match between Sunderland and Durham at Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground on September 19, 2025 in Hetton-le-Hole, England. (Photo by Ed Sykes - WSL/WSL Football via Getty Images)
HETTON-LE-HOLE, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 19: Katie Kitching of Sunderland scores her team’s second goal during the Barclays Women’s Super League 2 match between Sunderland and Durham at Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground on September 19, 2025 in Hetton-le-Hole, England. (Photo by Ed Sykes - WSL/WSL Football via Getty Images)
WSL Football via Getty Images
The final thing I want to see is emotional control.
This isn’t a derby in the traditional sense, but it’s a fixture that carries tension. Durham know how to disrupt rhythm; how to slow the game down, contest every decision and make opponents lose their composure. Sunderland can’t afford to be dragged into that. They must stay focused, disciplined and committed to their plan.
There’ll be moments where the match becomes scrappy, where frustration creeps in and moments where Durham try to turn the game into a battle rather than a contest of ideas, and Sunderland must rise above that.
Emotional control is not passive — it’s active. It’s the ability to stay calm under pressure, to reset quickly after setbacks and to maintain belief in the structure even when the game becomes messy. If Sunderland can keep their heads, they’ll give themselves the platform to play the football they want to play.
These elements aren’t abstract ideals.
They’re practical, tangible markers of progress. Bravery in possession shows that Sunderland trust themselves. Purpose in wide areas shows that they understand where their strengths lie. Attacking from the off shows that they’re ready to impose themselves. Emotional control shows that they’re maturing as a team. Together, they form the foundation of a performance that can beat Durham not just through effort, but through identity.
This match is an opportunity for Sunderland to show more than flashes of potential. It’s a chance to demonstrate that the improvements since January aren’t temporary, and it’s an opportunity to take a step forward in a season that’s been defined by growth, frustration and the slow emergence of something promising.
Durham will not make it easy. They never do, but Sunderland have the tools to shape this match on their own terms. They have the talent, the structure and the ambition. What they need now is the conviction to bring it all together.