WHAT a day for North-East football! There were unprecedented scenes in Middlesbrough yesterday as more than 100,000 people thronged the streets to pay tribute to their Carling Cup heroes.

And 30 miles further north, tens of thousands of Sunderland fans were delirious as the Black Cats booked an FA Cup semi-final place by beating Sheffield United 1-0.

Former England captain and Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer hailed "a wonderful era" for North-East fans. He said: "Middlesbrough have won a cup, Sunderland are 90 minutes away from the FA Cup final and Newcastle are in the last 16 of the Uefa Cup. It's a terrific time to be a football fan in the North-East."

In Middlesbrough, police praised the huge crowds which lined the streets as the team's open-top bus made its way through the town centre for a Carling Cup victory parade.

The procession marked the end of a 128-year wait for Boro fans for a major trophy.

Fans with painted faces and Boro scarves let out deafening cheers as the cup made its way from Ayresome Street to Borough Road, led by a mounted police escort, and accompanied by more than 100 other officers.

Even the relentless drizzle failed to dampen spirits as the procession travelled at walking pace past the site of the club's former Ayresome Park ground, along Linthorpe Road, down Borough Road and across the A66 to the Riverside Stadium.

Homes along the route were decked out in Middlesbrough colours with music blaring through open windows and doors.

The town was temporarily transformed into a massive football ground with the sound of fans cheering and whistles and horns blowing.

The biggest cheer of the day was reserved for Boro manager Steve McClaren.

When the cup arrived at the stadium, he picked up the trophy and told up to 5,000 fans in the car park: "This is for you."

A spokesperson from the club said: "It was a great occasion. The players were quite taken aback and emotional after the reception from the crowd."

Many fans said they had begun to wonder when Middlesbrough's wait for a trophy would come to an end.

Great-grandmother Olive Cubbin, 78, from Marton, Middlesbrough, met her husband at a football match at Ayresome Park in 1947.

She was at the parade with four generations of her family, despite recently coming out of hospital. "I listened to the match on the radio and I was crying when I heard they won," she said.

"My whole family support Middlesbrough. We're here for my husband, Jack, who died 15 years ago.

"He would have been in his element."

Police said fans' behaviour was first class and there were no arrests.

Chief Superintendent Mark Braithwaite said: "It was a carnival atmosphere."