Hand of Cod! The definitive story of how Alex Bass scored one of Sunderland's funniest goals

Defeat will be a touch harsh on Sunderland's U21s, who have had the better of the second half even before Jay Turner-Cooke saw red with just over ten minutes to play.

They've forced an outstanding double save from Jude Smith, after which Ellis Taylor had an effort deflected inches wide. Ben Crompton had struck the post with a towering header but it looks as if a good first half from the home team will be enough. Joe White's ability to drift into pockets unnoticed was a constant thorn in Sunderland's side, and he had scored from a clever corner routine that was almost a direct replica of one Eddie Howe's side had scored from at the weekend.

Then there is a little miscommunication at the back, and a defender nods it out for a corner just as his goalkeeper comes to claim it, dive on top of it and put it all to bed.

Looking ever so slightly embarrassed and more than a touch reluctant, Alex Bass rumbles forward towards the box as Niall Huggins drops deeper to cover for him.

Bass has up until this point had a fairly eventful and mostly pretty decent evening. Newcastle, it should be said, don't think he should be on the pitch. Turner-Cooke's red came when Bass claimed a corner and raced to try and launch a counter-attack. Turner-

Cooke stepped in his way and a tangle ensued. In a slightly odd sequence of events, Sunderland were awarded a free kick and both players were shown yellow. Crucially, it was the midfielder's second.

The goalkeeper has made some good saves, and his distribution has been solid enough. Under Graeme Murty the team are pivoting to a style heavily reliant on playing out from the back and a couple of weeks in there are some teething problems as well as some nice transitions - thrown in to keep his match fitness up Bass has managed it well enough.

And so here we are. The corner comes in and it's a delicious, inviting inswinger from the right. Bass is the tallest player in the box by a distance and he rises, part Mart Poom, part Niall Quinn, and 200 fans up to the left hold their breath. Surely not?! Bass gets absolutely nowhere near it. Ah well - wouldn't that have been a moment?

Huggins does really well, though, to get to the ball first and turn away from the onrushing opponents. Sunderland get another go.

Bennette nails it again, a genuinely wicked corner. This time Bass can't fail to connect and he does so emphatically. Everyone is beaten; it hits the post. Bass isn't really used to leaping for headers and so he's now tumbling over. Much to his surprise, the ball bounces straight back at him and so he does what all goalkeepers do: he instinctively sticks a claw out.

It is, he will later admit, a blatant handball and so while his team-mates rush to the away supporters to celebrate he sheepishly retreats for his goal wondering if anyone has notice. Some did, but the officials didn't.

His night wasn't quite done, either. Perhaps overtaken by the emotion Sunderland defend a long ball pretty poorly, and he has to make a brilliant save high to his left to protect the point. After the game you could tell this gave him every bit as much satisfaction as the goal had. Anthony Patterson's form and Sunderland's early Carabao Cup exit have meant that Bass has had very little opportunity to impress Tony Mowbray. He needed to show he could be trusted between the sticks first and foremost, which he did.

If along the way he could rescue a point for his team who had ultimately deserved it from a genuinely good, well-contested derby, then all the better.

This was not one of Sunderland's most significant goals, on this ground or anywhere else. It most certainly wasn't their best, on this ground or anywhere else. But it was very definitely one of their funniest.

It ain't over 'til it's over, especially not when you've got the hand of cod.