Sunderland had been coming off the again of a really irritating draw at Ashton Gate, the place they’d dominated the sport however didn’t convert plenty of good possibilities after which had been caught out by a fast free-kick within the dying embers of the sport.
“I’ve by no means seen supervisor Bob Stokoe so upset as he was on Saturday night time”, was how the Journal’s Len Hetherington described the Sunderland boss on the finish of this sport. Stokoe had come out to talk to the press after the sport, however earlier than he did, had correctly taken a sluggish stroll across the empty stadium to assemble his ideas and regain his composure.
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Three attracts in succession had taken the steam out of a fairly good begin to the season and regardless that two wins had adopted, the Bristol Metropolis end result noticed Stokoe clearly involved on the variety of attracts and possibilities that had been going a-begging.
One other irritation for the boss would have been the variety of factors dropped towards early season promotion rivals. West Brom, Norwich, Bolton and now Bristol needed to various levels stolen both a draw and in West Brom’s case a victory, when it had appeared like Sunderland had been going residence with the factors!
It was typical of this season that no matter Bob Stokoe’s frustration, Sunderland had been on their finest run of outcomes since Bobby Kerr’s debut had triggered an eight-game unbeaten run within the 1966/67 marketing campaign.
The Sunderland first-team squad for the 1974-75 season on the membership’s Roker Park floor. Again row (l-r): Supervisor Bob Stokoe, Richard Malone, Dave Watson, Denis Longhorn, Jim Montgomery, Trevor Swinburne, John Porterfield, Vic Halam, Tony Towers and coach Arthur Cox. Entrance row: Rod Belfitt, William Hughes, Ronald Gutherie, Bobby Moncur, Tom Finney, Stanley Ternent, Bobby Kerr and Bryan Robson. (Picture by PA Photographs through Getty Photographs)
New recruits Bob Moncur and Bryan ‘Pop’ Robson, two skilled gamers, who had performed collectively in Newcastle’s European Festivals Cup profitable workforce in 1969, had settled pretty effectively into the workforce. Pop was a Sunderland lad born and bred and will create in addition to rating objectives. Moncur was an skilled Scottish worldwide, whose positional savvy and sport consciousness complementing the colossus that was Dave Watson in defence, solely six objectives had been conceded within the first eleven league video games.
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Billy Hughes had began the season in positive fettle and already had seven objectives to his title, Pop Robson had scored 4 and with Vic Halom on three and Bobby Kerr on two objectives, we clearly had a objective risk we simply wanted to shut out video games, particularly towards our nearest rivals!
Sheffield Wednesday arrived, in hassle on the improper finish of the desk. The Lads had performed effectively at Hillsborough to win by two objectives to nil firstly of the month. Since then, the Owls supervisor Steve Burtenshaw, had purchased within the skilled Colin Harvey from Everton for £80,000. They had been additionally attempting to do a mortgage deal for Boro’s Eric McMordie, however that had not been concluded in time for this fixture.
Two gamers with Sunderland connections (one previous, one future) had been within the Wednesday line-up. Ken Knighton would captain the aspect, he would go on to educate and handle Sunderland to promotion within the 1979/80 season.
Additionally within the workforce was ex Sunderland youth workforce participant Fred McIver. I had watched this lad play for our FA Youth Cup profitable squad in 1968/69. Regardless of his apparent potential at Youth and reserve degree, he performed just one first workforce sport for the Lads. I had been an excited spectator when he had made his debut towards Preston at Roker Park in September 1971, I beloved (and nonetheless love) to see the younger lads getting an opportunity. Fred’s debut was eclipsed by one other debutant in the identical sport (and up till very lately) our youngest ever outfield participant Jimmy ‘Chico’ Hamilton, who as many will know scored the profitable objective within the final knockings of this sport.
Interview: Catching up with former Sunderland midfielder Jimmy ‘Chico’ Hamilton! | Roker Report
McIver was given a free switch on the finish of his debut season and after a brief spell in South Africa had been taking part in for Racing Jet in Belgium when the Owls supervisor Steve Burtenshaw had introduced him to Hillsborough to bolster his defensive choices for the beginning of this season.
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Though there was some doubt concerning the health of Pop Robson going into this sport, it was an unchanged workforce that took the sector in entrance of a crowd that approaching 30,000 earlier than kick-off. Stokoe had determined to provide the eleven who had slipped up at Bristol an opportunity to redeem themselves.
What ensued upon kick-off was as thrilling a forty-five minutes of soccer from the Lads as any fan may want for.
By half-time we had scored three cracking objectives and will have simply had one other three or 4, as we battered the beleaguered Wednesday defence with guile, ability, energy and tempo.
We may have been two-nil up earlier than the ball was labored cleverly out of defence to Ron Guthrie on 4 minutes. He sped down the left wing and ripped a vicious cross into that hall of uncertainty that objective keepers and defenders hate! Billy Hughes timed his run to perfection and powered the ball into the online simply beneath the cross-bar for his eighth objective of the season. What a roar greeted this objective, we had been off to an excellent begin.
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Sunderland had been dedicated to an all-out assault with Kerr, Porterfield and Towers utterly dominant in midfield. In a uncommon little bit of respite, the Owls practically caught us on the break however Monty raced out and smothered the ball on the ft of Potts charging in on objective.
Bobby Kerr then hit the byline earlier than delivering what appeared like the proper cross to Vic Halom. He put his header simply over the bar, it appeared like an excellent probability missed!
Sunderland’s Brian Robson (c) watches as teammate Bobby Kerr (l) takes the ball spherical Millwall goalkeeper Bryan King to provide the guests the lead. (Picture by PA Photographs through Getty Photographs)
Halom although repaid Kerr minutes later, with an excellent crossfield ball that picked out Kerr ghosting into area unmarked. The ‘Little Normal’ managed the cross and in a single motion struck a ‘daisy cutter’ that sped previous Peter Springett within the Sheffield objective and into the online off the publish. He’s right here, he’s there, went the mantra in acknowledgement of the objective.
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The Owls Tommy Craig, who had been a document British signing for an adolescent in 1969, (and would go on to be fan favorite at Newcastle, whom he joined later this yr) virtually caught Sunderland on the break, as he hit a pile-driver that Monty simply tipped across the publish.
However Sunderland’s thirst for extra objectives introduced reward simply earlier than half-time.
A beautiful transfer involving some neat, sharp passing noticed the ball labored to Porterfield whose tempting cross was nudged behind for a nook by Springett.
Porterfield delivered the nook proper into the strike zone of Dave Watson. He all the time jogged my memory of an Olympic ski jumper as he headed the ball goalward within the field. He met the cross full on and powered it previous Springett, who had little probability to maneuver not to mention save the try because the ball billowed the online.
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Watson had been unusually off-form within the earlier sport towards Bristol Metropolis, however had come again firing on all cylinders and completely deserved this objective for his efficiency.
Three beautiful objectives ensured a rapturous half-time exit for the Lads. I’d have been exhausting pressed to say which objective was the perfect, they had been all so good in their very own approach.
In the best way that video games like this generally go, the second half settled down considerably and the Lads coasted to victory, with Porterfield and Kerr specifically taking part in some silky stuff. Wednesday confirmed some resolve to not concede additional and a Ken Knighton probability not lengthy earlier than the ultimate whistle was the one concern because the factors had been received and we moved again into second place behind Manchester United.
Bob Stokoe was quite a bit happier in his post-match briefing underneath the lights at Roker Park, particularly because the information that Manchester United had been crushed at Portsmouth. Our three – objective haul put us on twenty-two objectives up to now for the season, yet another than United.
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Subsequent up was considered one of our rivals, Aston Villa at Roker Park the next Saturday. I used to be trying ahead to the person contest between Dave Watson and their centre-forward Sammy Morgan, a tough, robust all-action athlete.
The information that Richie Pitt was on the comeback path that week was additionally excellent news, he had performed in a reserve sport towards Bradford wherein Chico Hamilton had scored our objective. Sadly his efforts would in the end show unsuccessful, we’d not see our 1973 FA Closing workforce ever play collectively once more in a aggressive sport.
League Division Two | Date – 15.10.1974 | Venue – Roker Park | Attendance – 28,155
Sunderland 3 – 0 Sheffield Wednesday
Goalscorers – Hughes 4 minutes; Kerr 12 minutes; Watson 42 minutes.
Sunderland – Montgomery; Guthrie; Malone; Moncur; Watson; Porterfield; Towers; Kerr; Hughes; Halom; Robson. Sub – Finney.
Sheffield Wednesday – Springett; Rodrigues (Shaw 81 minutes); McIver; Thompson; Dowd; Holsgrove; Knighton; Potts; Harvey; Joicey; Craig.