On This Day (3 August 1968): Food for thought as Brown goes up against his protégé

Clough joins his chairman Sam Longson at a golf event days before going up against his old club...

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Alan Brown’s methods were to have a huge influence on both Sunderland AFC and the wider game, and whilst his second spell ended with the sack, the side he’d helped develop still went on to achieve the unthinkable in 1973 following his departure from Roker.

Brown’s second stint in charge had begun in early 1968, and now that their Division One status had been preserved, Sunderland were getting ready for another season of top flight football.

Preparations included a friendly against a side managed by

one of the men Brown guided the most, with the Lads taking on Brian Clough’s Derby County, who were about to embark upon their own fairytale success story.

Under Clough, the Rams were to win the second division and a Football League championship, with their manager using many of the leadership qualities and tactics he’d taken from Brown whilst a player in his squad during ‘Bomber’s’ initial spell in the Wearside hotseat.

Whilst Clough had since worked his way up the coaching and management ladder, Brown had been cementing his reputation as an innovative coach at Sheffield Wednesday before returning to Sunderland looking to finish the job he’d started prior to his surprise 1964 resignation — helping to re-establish the club following the damaging aftermath of a financial scandal that had taken place over a decade earlier but was still part of our collective psyche.

John O’Hare, back when he was at Sunderland

Clough had loved working under Brown prior to suffering a fateful injury on Boxing Day 1962 that eventually lead to his early retirement, but during this match, which started at the rather unusual time of 19:30 on a Saturday evening, it was Brown that came away with lessons to learn.

Experimenting with the emerging 4-4-2 formation, Sunderland looked open at the back, and short of ideas up front and ultimately, we paid the price, suffering a pride-denting defeat to the hosts who at this stage were still a division lower in the pyramid.

Our defensive frailties were exposed in the thirtieth minute when Kevin Hector blitzed through the middle and beat the onrushing Jimmy Montgomery.

New arrival Dave Mackay kept things ticking over as Derby enjoyed the majority of possession thereafter, and five minutes into the second half, former Sunderland man John O’Hare extended their lead when he crashed the ball in off the post after being played in by Alan Hinton.

The situation could’ve become even more embarrassing had Montgomery not made an excellent penalty save just before the hour mark, denying Hinton from the spot after Sunderland had once again been carved open.

A consolation goal followed as the Lads attempted to retrieve some pride, withColin Suggett finding the net from the edge of the area, but the late fracas between Gordon Harris and Roy McFarland was telling — Brown’s men had frustrated themselves with an off-colour showing, and with a new style of play failing to click, it was back to the drawing board for the manager.

Goalscorer Colin Suggett

*News of the Baseball Ground defeat may have given one or two fringe players increased hope of breaking into the first team.

A full-scale practice match had taken place at Roker Park on the same day, with Bobby Kerr amongst those involved as he continued his rehabilitation from two devastating leg breaks, and with Brown still looking to tweak his strategy the reserves had every reason to try and catch the eye.

Team A

Derek Forster, Robinson, Eammon McLaughlan, Mick McGiven, Richard Huntley, John Tones, Colin Beesley, Brian Chambers, Malcolm Moore, Bobby Kerr, Allan Gauden.

Team B

Trevor Swinburne, Geoff Butler, Jimmy Shoulder, Brian Heslop, Richie Pitt, Bobby Park, Bruce Stuckey, Albert Brown, John Lathan, Fagan, Richie Taylor

A further nine contracted players were put on standby, watching on and hoping to get a game, including Derek Humphreys, Keith Coleman, Fred McIver, Paddy Lowery and Mick Horswill.

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Saturday 3 August 1968

Pre-season friendly

Baseball Ground

Attendance: 13,526

Derby County 2 (Hector 30’, O’ Hare 50’)

Sunderland 1 (Suggett 69’)

Sunderland: Montgomery, Irwin (Palmer 46’), Hurley; Kinnell, Harvey, Herd (Porterfield 46’); Todd, Harris, Mulhall (Hughes 46’); Brand, Suggett

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