Sunderland Firsts slumped to a 4-1 defeat to Northern Firsts as the Premier League started back after the Christmas break.

As relegation rivals Newbiggin and Northern Seconds picked up wins, the result leaves the Wearsiders cut 24 points adrift of Premier League safety.

The 18 points picked up by Northern keeps them in with an outside chance of winning the title, as they and Westoe look to chance down Newcastle University.

Few would of held out hope of an upset as the Gosforth outfit arrived at Ashbrooke, and the opening exchanges quickly confirmed the home sides fears.

Northern’s Lewis Wake looked sharp in a comfortable 3-0 win over Alex Storey, before Sunderland’s Richie Hodges found himself 2-0 down in a more tightly contested battle with Graham Johnson.

But, Hodges was not to be beaten easily and dug in to level the match at 2-2. The sweltering conditions were taking their toll on Johnson and the momentum looked to be with the former Eldon man.

However, Johnson was able to open up a large early lead and hold on to seal the match 3-2 and give the visitors a commanding 2-0 lead.

The hosts fought through Simon Cliff, who put in a typically steady and professional performance to beat Alex Robertson 3-1.

The tie was sealed when Adam Goad beat Peter McCleod 3-0. The youngster looked to have vastly improved from his 3-2 victory over McCleod earlier on in the season, showing composure and maturity in a clinical victory.

Liam Gutcher then added three more points for his side, as he overcame Paul Dodsworth 3-0. Gutcher’s speed was typically impressive and the Sunderland skipper had little answer to avoid an 18-5 points split.

There will be no team action next week due to the County Closed tournament in Tynemouth, with the Premier League returning on the January 25.