AS if this month’s Wear-Tyne derby wasn’t going to be explosive enough, the appointment of Charlie Oatway to Sunderland’s coaching staff adds another volatile factor to the mix.

Oatway already has an unusual claim to fame after his parents named him after all 11 members of QPR’s 1973 first team.

His full name is Anthony Philip David Terry Frank Donald Stanley Gerry Gordon Stephen James Oatway, and when his parents told his aunt their proposed name, she said he’d look a “right Charlie”. The name stuck, and the former midfielder has been known as Charlie ever since.

Oatway was part of Poyet’s backroom team at Brighton, and was involved in heated arguments with Newcastle United number two, John Carver, during both of the recent FA Cup matches involving the two sides.

The pair clashed on the touchline at the Amex Stadium as Brighton dumped Newcastle out of the cup for two seasons in succession, and will lock horns again when the Magpies travel to Sunderland for Gustavo Poyet’s first home game in charge of the Black Cats a fortnight tomorrow.

The fixture has witnessed some fiery touchline clashes in recent seasons, most notably when Martin O’Neill and Alan Pardew locked horns at St James’ Park.

Tensions are sure to be running high at the Stadium of Light, and the meeting of Oatway and Carver promises to be worth keeping an eye on.

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SOME people get a statue to recognise their achievements, others get their own award, but Durham skier Emily Sarsfield is in the unique position of having a chalet named in her honour.

The ski cross star is set to compete in next year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi after missing out on the 2010 Games in Vancouver because of injury, and to mark her progress, Ski Weekends have named one of their chalets ‘Chalet Emily’.

Located in Courchevel, ‘Chalet Emily’ sleeps 8-10 guests, and once the Winter Olympics are over, Sarsfield plans to use it as her base to run some masterclass training sessions.

“I can’t believe I have a chalet named after me,” said Sarsfield. “It’s so nice for people to recognise your hard work, dedication and passion for the sport. This is such a nice thing for them to do, it’s not often a North-Eastern girl has a beautiful ski chalet named after them. My dad will be proud!”

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A TOP-CLASS night of darts is in store for Darlington on November 23 as the town’s Dolphin Centre hosts the Darlington Legends of Darts event.

Eric Bristow, Keith Deller, Wayne Mardle and Andy Fordham will all be taking to the stage to contest the Darlington Masters Trophy before taking on selected members of the audience.

Only 20 VIP tickets, priced at £35, remain available for the event, including a one-hour pre-show meet and greet with the players. Standard tickets cost £15 and can be purchased from the Dolphin Centre or on 01325 388406.

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Sedgefield Racecourse has expanded its workforce by taking on two new local apprentices.

Megan Shutt, 20 from Trimdon, has joined as a sales apprentice and is attending Middlesbrough College on a weekly basis completing an NVQ Level 2 in retail.

Jack Cranson, 19 also from Trimdon, joined as a groundsman apprentice and is attending Houghall College one day per week completing a Level 2 Diploma in work-based horticulture.