Pass master Cattermole remains grounded for derby duel

He is not talking about being caught on the wrong end of an excruciating tackle or recovering from orthopaedic operations necessitated by a habit of exceeding the call of on-pitch duty. Indeed the hurt was not physical. "I played in the 5-1," Cattermole says, flatly. "It was a bad performance."

The reference is to October 2010 when, with Shola Ameobi scoring twice and Kevin Nolan three times, Steve Bruce's then side were thrashed by Chris Hughton's Newcastle United at St James' Park. "A lot of our team under-performed," he says. "We didn't handle the occasion."

Arguably the best English midfielder not to feature in Roy Hodgson's current plans, Cattermole has matured as a man and evolved as a footballer in the past four years but the memories of that humiliating day have not been forgotten.

"Brucey got us in the next day and said: 'Clear the decks, take tomorrow off and do whatever you want as a team, get out and switch off,'" he recalls. "We got together, went out, had a chat and a few beers and the next week we got on a good run. The manager handled it well."

Today Sunderland, now in Gus Poyet's charge, will arrive at St James' with heads held high as they aim for a fourth straight win against their local rivals. Helping them achieve it would mean a lot to Cattermole, who missed the past two victories on Tyneside through injury and is especially looking forward to a potentially pivotal duel with Moussa Sissoko.

"It's a special ground for me, I made my debut for Middlesbrough at Newcastle and, barring the 5-1, I've got good memories there," he says. Back in January 2006, he was only 17 when Steve McClaren plunged him in at the deep end before watching the teenager collect a man of the match award following a 2-2 draw. "Steve told me I was starting two hours beforehand, as we were about to leave a hotel on Newcastle quayside," he recalls.

"It was brilliant, it was massive. There was a buzz when I saw Alan Shearer coming out of the tunnel.

"I've always enjoyed playing there. As you drive into Newcastle you see the stadium and you get a buzz. It's a good feeling.

"There's a bit of a rough reception from their fans and that's nice. It's different. It's a good atmosphere. The derby's a big game and you have to embrace it."

Cattermole remains unconcerned by Poyet's draw specialists having won only two Premier League games this season. "We feel pretty confident," he says. "We've been in control of most games. I think our performances are better than our league position suggests. I honestly believe we're not far away from the top 10."

With his traditional black boots, slicked back hair and shirt tucked neatly into shorts pulled high on to the waist, he could easily belong to a different era but, as Sissoko may well discover, Cattermole has blossomed into a very modern midfielder. Far less prone to diving into reckless tackles than in the past and increasingly showing off some superior passing skills, he is, by some distance, Sunderland's outstanding individual. "It's as good as I've felt on the pitch," he acknowledges. "I feel really comfortable but there's a hell of a lot I want to improve on. I've got goals I want to achieve in my career and I'm working towards them every day. A massive plus is that I've been injury-free for quite a while now.

"The manager's a very good coach and we've all improved individually on the back of his work. We're trying to pass the ball and it makes it easier. We haven't passed as much under other managers as we have with Gus." If a 26-year-old capped by England at every junior level is far too grounded to be constantly checking his phone for a call from Hodgson, Cattermole's ambition should not be underestimated. "England's out of my hands," he says. "But I'm trying to prepare myself in case something does happen. I'd like to think I'd be ready."

Newcastle Utd v Sunderland, live, Sky Sports 1, 1.30pm

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