Sbragia aiming for derby double

Sbragia is looking forward to his first derby in charge

Sunderland manager Ricky Sbragia has urged his players to complete a first double over rivals Newcastle United since the 1966/67 season.

The Wearsiders won the first game 2-1 at the Stadium of Light in October and Sbragia admitted anything less than a point would be a disappointment.

"It would be nice to win, I'd be happy with a draw but disappointed with nothing," he told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"The win at Fulham gave us more belief and we should be ready for it."

Last season's derby on Tyneside was a disappointment for everyone connected with Sunderland as Newcastle were dominant throughout in a 2-0 defeat for then-manager Roy Keane.

And Sbragia, part of the coaching staff that day, believes he and his players have learned lessons from that afternoon and the preparation for Sunday's game will be far different from the preparation for last season's encounter.

"Last year we seemed to be in the dressing room for more than two-and-a-half hours before the game which was ridiculous, and this year we want to be there for no more than an hour and 10," he said.

"We seemed to be there too long, this Sunday, we looked really lazy and tired coming out onto the field and we conceded the first goal, never getting into the game.

"The preparation for that game from my point of view was poor, the players didn't like hanging around and we started focusing on the game too early, so I want to take that pressure of the players."