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Footy fans urged to back generosity league
A Wear-Tyne derby of a different kind is being fought by football fans as they raise cash for charity.
Dedicated Sunderland supporter Paul Wallace has set up a generosity league on Internet football forums throughout the country, appealing for supporters to donate to a fund set up in memory of his dad Joe.
Joe, 66, died of a mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer, which may have been caused by the asbestos he breathed in while working as a burner in Sunderland's shipyards.
Every time a fan makes a donation to the fund, they score a point for their chosen team, with 10 clubs battling it out.
Season ticket holder Paul has sent out a rallying call to fellow Black Cats to dig deep into their pockets because Newcastle are topping the table.
The Magpies have 39 points while Sunderland are lagging behind in second place with 24.5. The half came from a Wearsider now living in Hull, who split his point between Sunderland and his local team.
The competition has already helped raise half of the 1,411 collected for Paul's Joe Wallace Breath of Life campaign, which has a target of 90,000.
Paul, 32, who sits in the upper North Stand at the Stadium of Light, said: "Having Newcastle top just isn't on, is it?
"I want Sunderland supporters, one of my own, to get behind it.
"This can help save lives and ultimately that's the aim.
"But I want to see Sunderland top of this league too."
Newcastle's position at the top has been put down to the campaigning of Dan Pringle, a 32-year-old from Bedlington, who has been encouraging other NUFC fans to donate.
The father-of-four, who is also expecting another child with his wife of 10 years, has been fighting testicular cancer and is undergoing tests to find out if it has spread to his lungs.
The league is just one of the ways Paul, of Sherburn Hill, near Durham City, is raising cash, with the money to be used by the British Lung Foundation for research.
His dad Joe, who was originally from Monkwearmouth and lived in Washington, died in June 2005, leaving wife Babs and four sons.
The league can be accessed through the forum on website: www.theblackcats.co.uk. A minimum of 2 must be made to gain a point on the table.
Donations can be made through www.justgiving.com/joewallace and information about the fund can be found on www.joewallace.webeden.co.uk.
League standings: NUFC 39
SAFC 24.5
Dundee 16
Bolton 3
Wigan 3
Aston Villa 2
West Ham 2
Leeds 1
Liverpool 1
Hull 0.5
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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