Derby win over Newcastle 'means the world to me' - Rigg
[Getty Images] Sunderland youngster Chris Rigg says helping his boyhood club secure a Premier League double after arch-rivals Newcastle "means the world" to him. The 18-year-old helped the Black Cats come back from a goal down to win 2-1 at St James' Park on Sunday, having been an unused substitute for the 1-0 home victory against the Magpies in December. "I was thinking about it all week, all the different scenarios in my head, as you would because I'm human," he said post-match.
"That was the best one. It means the world to me. I got a bit emotional after the game and I got a bit emotional before the game.
"I wasn't in tears, I just got a bit emotional in the changing room. " Rigg progressed through Sunderland's academy to make his senior debut as a 15-year-old in January 2023 and, like experienced defender Luke O'Nien, has been with the club on the journey from League One to the Premier League. "Me and Luke had a bit of a moment because we've played a lot of seasons here and obviously Luke's been here for how many years," Rigg added.
"He just gave me a hug and said: 'Wow'. "Walking on to the pitch, it was still quite surreal, obviously. Being a local lad and walking out at St James' Park, it's still a big achievement for me personally and I think it is for most of the lads because those are the games you dream of playing when you're a kid.
"That's what Granit [Xhaka] said before the game, you dream to play in these games. Obviously when we went 1-0 down, I thought we kept our heads really well because it could have gone one, two, three. "But it didn't and then we scored two.