Magpies head coach Langley says north-east region needs top-flight team to take women’s football to the next level

The Women’s Championship attendance record is set to be not merely broken but shattered into smithereens on Sunday when a crowd of more than 20,000 is expected to converge on the Stadium of Light for the Wear-Tyne derby.

“I don’t buy that it’s just another game,” says the Newcastle head coach, Becky Langley. “Sunderland’s a special match, incredibly important for our region, where you need incredible focus. There’s always that extra bite in a derby and the girls are saying they don’t want to get beat by the Mackems. We’ve got to be bold. We can’t be vanilla.”