The North-East’s richest football match of all time

Relegation and play-off tussles between old adversaries Newcastle and Sunderland can be discounted too.

There has never been a fixture on North-East soil with so many millions of pounds riding on it as this, and it could be that years will pass before the like occurs again.

Along with the wealthy, nervous owners of both clubs, St James’ Park – the third biggest league venue in the country – witnessed a enthralling fixture befitting of Premier League status.

Pride, passion and, a few of those things that have been lacking by the Tyne and Tees this season, goals.

But it is hard to imagine, after 11 years of competing with one another in the top tier of the game, that the Tyne-Tees derby will no longer be a fixture of the Premier League. That, though, is on the cards now.

The southern-based businessman Mike Ashley, Newcastle United owner, and Teesside-born Steve Gibson, the Middlesbrough chairman, shuffled anxiously in their seats, fearing the worst and hoping for a miracle.

Obafemi Martins, the Nigerian, supplied it.

Newcastle were winners, Boro the heartbroken losers.

Such were the stakes, there could not have been a more fitting build up, with thousands of Newcastle flags bearing the colours of barcodes setting the scene.

With the prospect of losing out on a £50m windfall – at least – for dropping into the Championship, it is easy to pinpoint finance as the one and only reason why there is such desperation from Ashley to keep Newcastle up.

Football League status would destroy his hopes of making any sort of profit on his £220m investment two years ago and such a hit would offer further evidence of bad management at the very top from the sportswear tycoon.

But while he has previously tried to sell the club after being accused of treating Kevin Keegan badly, it is difficult to imagine that Ashley did not feel every twist and turn last night – the smile of satisfaction told its own story.

At the end of the season, regardless of whether they complete the job of staying in top-flight, Newcastle supporters will point the finger of blame at Ashley.

With that in mind, it is incredible to think that his opposite number at Middlesbrough, Gibson, will not have to endure such stinging criticism – despite the Football League beckoning.

Responsible for saving the club from liquidation in 1986, Gibson transformed his hometown club into an established and respected Premier League force after putting the club on the map in 1994 with the appointment of Bryan Robson and building the Riverside Stadium.

But while it is believed that he has put plans in place for whatever eventuality in the next few weeks, it would hurt the lifelong Boro supporter to see all of his hard work over the last 15 years as chairman disappear.

Four of Middlesbrough’s starting line-up last night were products of the reputable Academy system.

Newcastle, on the other hand, had just Steven Taylor, an indication of the high spending patterns over the years at St James’.

And that’s why Newcastle, after this incredible lifeline, cannot even think about relegation. It would lead to a firesale and a complete rethink of their approach, with more and more young players handed chances.

Gibson, on the other hand, will have you believe that there will be no cheap exits from the Riverside.

Yes, Stewart Downing, Tuncay Sanli and Gary O’Neil will be sold on, but they were likely to depart this summer anyway, with Southgate hopeful of investing some of that cash back into his squad.

This defeat, courtesy of Martins and Peter Lovenkrands’ late intervention, will almost certainly mean that Gibson will have to prove he is still hungry for the role.

Premier League football is something Gibson has become accustomed to, and he would dearly love to hold onto it.

Now, though, it is slipping quickly away.

The Championship beckons for Boro, while Ashley and the Tyneside support can look forward to finishing fourth-bottom.