Adam Johnson relishing Newcastle United "cup final" meeting

Sunderland midfielder Adam Johnson had insisted that he is relishing the chance to take on Newcastle United in this weekend's Tyne-Wear derby.

The 27-year-old, who made the move to the Stadium of Light from Manchester City in 2012, is yet to taste defeat against the Magpies.

Despite having represented England on 12 occasions, as well as lifting the Premier League and FA Cup at club level, Johnson says that he still feels added pressure going into the local derby.

"It is the intensity of the occasions you feel," he is quoted as saying by The Northern Echo. "You can feel that little bit more expectancy going into the game. There's a pressure. When you get onto the pitch, if you didn't know it was a derby, you can tell straight away. There is a completely different feeling. There is a tension. It is like a cup final.

"Everything is just that little bit extra and you get that from the fans. They make it that way. They are nervous, they want to do well, but there's almost a fear attached to it as well. That's exactly what it is, fear; everyone wants to win it that badly. That is how I would probably describe it.

"I don't have too many memories from before the games, it's more afterwards, when you've won, you realise you've done it, the music is turned up and you've won the game. You get on the bus and you can see everybody there is fuming. That's the best part! I think what made it more special over the last couple of seasons is that we really needed the points. We needed the wins regardless of whether it was the derby."

Sunderland head into the clash at St James' Park on the back of a six-game winless run.