Newcastle United smashed the attendance record for the Championship as a crowd of 38,502 watched Becky Langley’s side triumph 1-0 in the first-ever women’s Tyne-Wear derby at St James’ Park — and also saw the Carabao Cup trophy paraded inside the stadium for the first time.
Shania Hayles, the substitute, scored a 78th-minute winner, rifling beyond Demi Lambourne into the Gallowgate End net, having been played through by Emily Murphy.
That strike proved the difference in a match that was low on clear-cut opportunities, but Newcastle did enough to clinch a league double over their neighbours.
Langley, Newcastle’s manager, was sent-off in added time by Sophie Dennington, the referee, as emotions boiled over.
The previous second-tier record had been set in October in the reverse fixture at the Stadium of Light, when Becky Langley’s Newcastle won 2-1 in front of 15,387 on Wearside, but that mark was more than doubled on Sunday.
A new club record was also set, exceeding the 28,565 who saw Newcastle beat Barnsley 2-1 in the FA Cup in November 2022 by almost 10,000.
Not only did the spectators in attendance get to witness a tasty affair, but also the first piece of major silverware that Newcastle’s men have won in 56 years, exactly a week on from the Carabao Cup final at…
