Derby memory: Ex- Cat Chopra on that miss

MICHAEL Chopra still dines out on his game- changing derby goal for Newcastle against Sunderland in April, 2006 – coming on and scoring the equaliser 13 seconds after coming on.

But the self- confessed Newcastle fan will not win any popularity contests on Wearside for his failure to score for the Red and Whites against the Magpies at St James’s Park in February, 2009.

Chopra signed for newly- promoted Sunderland, then managed by Roy Keane, from Cardiff City in the summer of 2007.

While excited by the prospect of returning the Premier League, the move – and everything that went with it – gave him pause for thought before he put pen to paper.

“It was difficult,” admitted the Tynesider ( pictured). “It took me a few days to think about it.

“Roy called me up, and told me what his plans were. Obviously, I spoke to my family. I decided to go with it and be professional with it.

“I was playing for Cardiff in the Championship, and you don’t get many opportunities to play in the Premier League.

“I just thought Roy Keane would teach me a few things – he’s played with some world- class strikers, and worked under Sir Alex Ferguson. “I just thought I’d make the most of it. “I scored important goals in my first season at the club. They helped keep them in the Premier League.”

Chopra, however, had put all thoughts of pulling on a red and white shirt in a derby to the back of his mind as he adjusted to life at the Stadium of Light.

“I knew it was coming, but when I signed it was in the back of my head,” he said.

“The week before the derby game was this big build- up. It was hard to get focused. I was living in Newcastle at the time, and I had people coming up to me.

“The first derby was at Sunderland, and we drew 1- 1.

“At St James’s, they’d put black and white pieces of paper on the seats with elastic bands. When I was warming up, I was getting them all flicked at me.

“It was hard at the time, even though it’s part and parcel of football.

“You’ve just got to get on with it and deal with it.”

He was given 10 minutes as a sub at the end of a dismal 2- 0 defeat at Newcastle in April, 2008, and remained on the bench when Sunderland beat the Magpies at home for the first time in 28 years six months later.

Chopra’s last game for Sunderland came at St James’s Park on February 1, 2009. With the score level at 1- 1, he broke free of United’s defence, only to opt to square the ball to Kenwyne Jones rather than shoot.

It did not go down well on Wearside. If the beginning of the end for his time there had been Keane’s sacking, this was the end. He rejoined Cardiff on loan.

“I think it was ( Sebastien) Bassong who was coming towards me,” recalled Chopra.

“I tried to cross for Kenwyne to tap it in, but he hasn’t managed to get there.

“The game ended 1- 1 that day. It was hard for me after that. People were going on at me about the chance.

“I was getting a load of abuse off Sunderland fans and things like that.

“I decided I’d had enough of the abuse and didn’t want to be at the club any more.

“I decided to go on loan to Cardiff. Once Ricky Sbragia came in, I wasn’t really playing much. I was asking to go on loan way before the derby game.

“It was just a matter of time. I just wanted to go out and play football week in, week out.

“The chance came on deadline day about 20 seconds before the window shut.

“It was just a coincidence it was straight after the derby game.”