POLICE praised the majority of fans for their behaviour at today's North-East derby draw between Sunderland and Newcastle, but bad taste chanting from both sides was reported.

Black Cats fans targeted Magpies defender Steven Taylor after he said no Sunderland players were good enough to play for the Toon.

Newcastle’s visiting supporters responded by singling out Teesside-born Sunderland skipper Lee Cattermole with unsavoury songs of their own.

When informed of the chants, Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill, said he would have been ‘disappointed’ if he had heard them himself.

The Newcastle centre-half was jeered repeatedly as he warmed up, and Sunderland fans abused him on a number of occasions during the game.

Mr O'Neill said: "If I had heard that, I would have been disappointed with it."

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew claimed he had not heard any of the chanting and so would not comment on the subject after the game.

Some home fans complained they missed the start of the game, and the early Newcastle goal due to congestion outside the ground.

One Sunderland season ticket holder, who did not wish to be named, said: “I got in on 16 minutes and people are really annoyed. As recently as this morning the club was saying to go to usual turnstiles."

The match saw a large police presence across Sunderland and Newcastle as almost 50,000 supporters attended the Stadium of Light.

Fifteen people were arrested throughout the day, six of which were during a pre-planned operation in Durham and Gateshead at around 5am where cocaine and ecstasy was seized.

The six - four males aged 49, 44, 19, 16 and two females aged 41 and 15 - were arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled drug with intent to supply.

The majority of the other arrests were for public order type offences.

There was one report of racist language having been used by a supporter in one area of the stadium.

Chief Superintendent Steve Neill said: "Public safety is always our number one priority during any football match and the few people who chose to pose a threat to public safety were dealt with swiftly by police."