Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has urged his players not to pass up the chance to write themselves into Wearside folklore on Saturday.

Memories will come flooding back for the Irishman when derby rivals Newcastle head for the Stadium of Light this weekend.

Quinn went down in Sunderland legend when he scored at St James' Park in November 2000 to secure a second successive victory in enemy territory, and knows the current crop of Black Cats have a chance to do the same.

He told The Journal: "Without putting pressure on the team, this is what it's all about.

"This is the game the Sunderland people want, this means more to them than any other on the calendar, and the fact that we are back here and in with a shout is great. The game will show the players how good it gets.

"To get a goal in a game like this, or to play well or just to get a win, you put it in your little book and at the end of your career you look back and you say, 'Wow! What a great memory'.

"The players understand the importance of it, there's no doubt about that - and the beauty of football is you never know what can happen.

"Whoever gets it, it will be a very big thing."

Roy Keane's men welcome their nearest rivals having not won in six league matches, taking just two points in the process with their latest outing a 4-1 trouncing at home by Portsmouth.

Quinn added: "The game is a blockbuster. I had a few years here as a player and it is always remembered by how well we did against Newcastle. It is an amazing thing, but that's the way it is.

"We have been on the back foot in the last few years, but I would like to think we are in a different place now.

"Our stock was high when we beat Newcastle 2-1 in successive seasons at St James's, and then it fell.

"This is a wonderful chance for us to kick on."

Keane received a boost on Tuesday night when Andy Cole and Carlos Edwards stepped up their recoveries from calf and hamstring injuries respectively in the reserves' 8-0 Durham Challenge Cup rout of Wearside Premier League Wolviston.

Both men played for an hour and scored, although it remains to be seen whether either is ready to compete for a place at the weekend.

Cole is yet to make his senior debut for the club, while Edwards has not played since tearing his hamstring at Birmingham in the second match of the season.