DEFENDING Start Fitness North-East Harrier League champions Sunderland start today’s second fixture on home ground at Farrington, having dropped further down the table to sixth after a results mistake.

The Wearsiders, who have won the coveted Sisterson Trophy ten times in the last 11 years, were placed fifth after a disastrous start to the new season at Cramlington last weekend.

But their plight was made even worse when it was discovered that Heaton Harrier Lucas Longman had been wrongly disqualified after finishing 22nd in the senior men’s race.

That lifted the Newcastle club from sixth to third, and saw Sunderland slip to sixth, equalling their worst-ever finish in the three-pack handicap event.

Now Sunderland, who lost on home ground in the opening fixture to Morpeth last season then won the next three, have a mountain to climb to overhaul leaders Gateshead, who made a perfect start at Cramlington following their promotion back to the top flight.

Sunderland had only a bare-bones team of nine runners in the six-to-count competition but should be back to full strength for their home fixture, the second of six.

Ten-times North-East cross country champion and current British Masters Over-45 title-holder Brian Rushworth rejoins the squad.

Team captain Paul Redmond said: “We need a good performance to put us back in contention.

“We were missing a lot of runners at Cramlington but I am expecting a much better turn-out this time.”

Heaton Harriers, with a flourishing women’s section, got off to a flying start at Cramlington in their quest for a third consecutive women’s team title.

Today’s programme starts at 12.15 with an event for under-11s, and the 9.6K men’s race is scheduled at 1.15.