THE father of a Sunderland football fan who pushed keeper Steve Harper to the ground during the Wear-Tyne derby drove his son to apologise to the Newcastle player.

Gary Miller, from Spennymoor, County Durham, said he was gobsmacked when he saw his son Ross, 17, being escorted off the pitch following Sunderland player Asamoah Gyan’s late equaliser at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.

Mr Miller, a lorry driver from Spennymoor, County Durham, said: “We were both coming out of the ground, but as soon as Sunderland scored, 50,000 people went mad jumping about.

“When it had died down, I looked to my right, and Ross was gone. I looked down to the pitch and there he was – I couldn’t believe it.

“I sprinted down after him, but by the time I got there, he was being marched off the pitch.”

Ross was held at the ground before being taken for questioning at a police station.

Yesterday, the pair drove to Newcastle’s training ground for Ross to apologise to Steve Harper, but the first team players were not there.

Newcastle United pledged to call manager Alan Pardew and Harper to pass on their apologies.

Mr Miller then took his son to the Stadium of Light.

He said: “It was actually Ross’ idea to apologise and I wanted to show the clubs that it was just a moment of madness and he is very, very sorry.”

Ross said: “I said at the police station that if I could apologise, then I would. This morning, I thought, ‘well, why don’t I?” I feel like I have let everyone down.”

Both are lifelong Sunderland fans and Ross was taken by his father to see his first home game aged four.

Mr Miller said: “Newcastle have been really excellent with us and they were very happy that Ross made the effort to apologise. We went to Sunderland and told them we were very, very sorry. We cannot apologise enough.”

Immediately after the game, Sunderland manager Steve Bruce and Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan called for the teenager to be banned from the ground.

However father and son have written a letter of apology to Sunderland hoping to avoid a ban.

Mr Miller said: “We are just praying it does not happen.

Ross is football mad, he is 100 per cent Sunderland.

“He eat, sleeps and drinks Sunderland.”

Ross was arrested and is due to answer bail on March 4.

Police said 33 arrests were made before, during and after the match. Officers held 24 Sunderland fans and nine Newcastle supporters.