Newcastle fan Ben Waine’s winner knocks Sunderland out of the FA Cup Fifth Round and celebrates like Alan Shearer.
The League One’s bottom side are through to the quarter finals, the last eight, for the first time since 1954, Waine first-half goal all that separated the two teams.
Something to celebrate for Vale, who are 11 points adrift from safety and look set to drop to League Two, with just six league wins this season, yet have now won five matches in the FA Cup, the latest against Sunderland, who are ranked 57 places above Port Vale in the pyramid.
Sunderland’s Luke O’Nien almost scored a crazy own goal in the first half against Port Vale 😅 pic.twitter.com/G37kHXLHyw
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 8, 2026
Port Vale are currently bottom of League One, but have taken the lead against Sunderland in the FA Cup! 👏😱
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/2cUOBULWBY
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 8, 2026
🙋🏼♂️ https://t.co/7WZQo0xwRd
— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) March 8, 2026
Sunderland boss Regis le Bris speaking to TNT Sports:
“Credit to our opponent. They played with hunger, patience, intensity. We were not at the level. It was more a second ball game, we didn’t show enough to impose our strength today.
“Is what it is. It’s not easy, really disappointed. Sad for our fans because they’ve travelled to support us and we didn’t give this amount of energy to make the difference. This competition is relentless, one game 90 minutes anything can happen. Disappointed.
“The lads wanted to do it. We are not able to do it. It is what it is.”
“The Premier League is our first objective, 100%. We tried to go strong with the players we had. We trained properly before. If you don’t show enough you get punished and that’s what happened today.”
On pitch: “The pitch is the pitch. We won’t find excuses. It levels everything, technically and tactically. You put in the battle and fighting spirit and they were good at that, the crowd the stadium the event. They deserved on that part of the game to win.”
“They played with hunger, with patience, with intensity”
Regis Le Bris praises Port Vale for their victory against his Sunderland team 🗣
🎙@msmith850 | 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/JDkwZW9r8z
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 8, 2026
Régis Le Bris reflects on today’s defeat at Vale Park 📺⤵️ pic.twitter.com/cK6vclZXsf
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) March 8, 2026
Port Vale match winner Ben Waine speaking to BBC Sport:
“Better than expected. We went out and gave it our all, to come out 1-0 with a clean sheet and the performance we put in was outstanding.
“They were up for it but the field levelled it a bit. We know that and we were smart and played to the conditions. Similar game plan to Bristol City and it paid off.”
On goal: “Popped up so nicely, off his knee, back across goal and I watched it almost in slow motion looping over the keeper.”
Best thing about performance: “The togetherness – the last five or 10 minutes, how connected we were. Galloping up the pitch and getting back, anything it took to get it over the line.”
“I didn’t even clock it was the quarters we got into to be honest! I just heard that. I know it was 30 years to get into this round, it’s amazing.”
How are Port Vale bottom of League One? “We are in that position but it’s been a tough old season. Over the last couple of weeks we have come together as a team and found something to drive us forward. We’re sticking together.”
On knocking Sunderland out as a boyhood Newcastle fan: “It doesn’t get better than that. That was something I’ve never even dreamt of, for it to go that way I think my family will be happy!”
On who he would like to face next: “I would’ve said Newcastle but after the game last night, I will take anyone.”
“I’m in a bit of shock really, to be honest”
Port Vale manager Jon Brady reacts to his side reaching the FA Cup quarter-final for the first time in 72 years 📈
🎙@JulesBreach | 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/6eieXY3h43
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 8, 2026
“Hands down the biggest upset I’ve been involved in, it’s unbelievable”
Goalscorer Ben Waine reacts to Port Vale’s huge FA Cup upset against Sunderland 👏
🎙@msmith850 | 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/C5dfaYsvYG
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 8, 2026
Waine told TNT Sports that he had wanted Newcastle United in the next round until their exit, but says the team will “take it to” whoever they get.
“That is unbelievable, I have never seen this place like this.
“I know it wasn’t the best game to watch but I think we deserved it.
“We love this pitch here at Port Vale and we played to the conditions.
“We got a chance, we took it and then we dug in and defended for our lives.”
Port Vale boss Jon Brady speaking to BBC Sport: “I’m trying to let it sink in at the moment. It was tremendous form the boys.
“We had to suffer at times but when they pushed toward the end we broke with real pace. Thought we might have had a penalty, then Andre Gray misses one.
“It really hasn’t sunk in it. Overall it felt quite comfortable.”
On what it means for the club: “We have an fantastic owner in Carol Shanahan. She talks about a football being like a game of snakes and ladders, you can be up or down, she just says that we must stay on the board and I think that is a really good analogy.
“The players are proving themselves and hopefully in the league we can turn our form around.”
On goalscorer Ben Waine: “He has popped up with really important goals. He is someone who takes a chance and pops up at the right time.”
On who he wants to face next: “I haven’t even looked who is in it. I couldn’t believe we were in the last 16 – I told my kids we were in the last 32!
“It’s nice to create history, isn’t it.”
Here’s how Twitter users reacted after Newcastle fan Ben Waine’s winner knocks Sunderland out and celebrates like Alan Shearer…
@Dale_Harris14: Shearer celebration across the faces of the away end 🤣 superb
@nufcpb: Running across the entire away section doing the Shearer celebration is hilarious we should sign him for that
@sportingminute: His ma’s a Geordie and he’s doing the Shearer celebration in front of them ahaha.
@lozzapvfc: We’re finishing bottom of league one and going to ruin everyone else’s season. Love that for us
@JSAFC1973: ‘It is what it is’ ‘it happens’ fuck off. Also saying the premier league is the main objective so didn’t want to risk Xhaka 🤣 we’re on 40 points with nothing to play for. #safc
@lorsehatitudes: Hahaha. I was absolutely fucking fizzing even before I heard him say “it is what it is” and now I can’t see because I’m so angry and there’s just a big red blob where my eyes have burst from holding the anger in
@CLQ_W1LKS: Is what it is…… This attitude is why we’re powder puff up top. Standards are on the floor today and your manager comes out with this dross. #SAFC
@rduggan16: Has he ever took responsibility for a loss? All he ever says is that they weren’t at the level they needed to be
@DeanoCummings85: Makes the defeat even worse to stomach. There are ways to lose a game of football. Swanning around pitch with an aura of not giving two flying fucks whether they win lose or draw isnt that way. Its as if we were playing not to pick up any more injuries than to win
@rstainbank: I stopped listening after “We tried”. Don’t insult our intelligence.
@XtraLeicester: Surprised you guys didn’t really for go for this, mid table and no real danger of relegation, Should have put more into it
@a1973safc: I hope Le Bris & the team uses this pathetic performance as a reminder that you will get punished every time if you give a half ars*d effort. Because not a single player on that pitch looked bothered
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