Bobby Park was one of a clutch of bright young prospects at Roker Park in the mid – to late sixties. I was lucky enough to watch his progression from youth team to first team as a Sunderland-daft youngster and recall fondly the slim, skilful ball player.
It was the second game of the 1969/70 season, in a midweek match at Selhurst Park versus newly promoted Crystal Palace, that Park made his bow.
Losing the game two goals to nil, Park came on for Calvin Palmer shortly after Palace’s second goal. As
in many games this season, Sunderland had played some decent enough approach play but lacked the killer touch in the box.
Park’s introduction almost paid immediate dividends for manager Alan Brown, as he snapped a first-time volley from just inside the box that had goalkeeper Jackson at full stretch to save.
It was Sunderland’s best effort on the night, and for those who had seen the young Scot play, it was just one of the skills he had in his locker.
Sunderland lost this game, but Alan Brown (not someone given to faint praise) said afterwards about Park: “…I would say he is possibly the best young prospect we have at Roker Park.”
Bobby Park was born in Coatbridge, Scotland, on 05/01/1952. The Coatbridge area was a productive hunting ground for the scouting team of Charlie Ferguson and the locally based Tom Rutherford. Billy Hughes and, later, Jim ‘Chico’ Hamilton were just two other recruits scouted from the area.
Bobby had been picked up from Coatbridge Juniors (the same team ‘Chico’ would be scouted from a year or two later). He made his bow in the youth team in the 1967/68 season and really hit his straps the following season, becoming a key ingredient in the youth team that won the FA Youth Cup as they overturned a 3 – 0 first-leg defeat to win 6 – 0 at a bouncing Roker Park in May against West Bromwich Albion (who had Jim Holton and Asa Hartford sent off on the night). I watched him coolly slot a penalty with the contest at its hottest as the game swung in Sunderland’s favour.
Around a month after his Selhurst Park bow, Bobby was named as substitute at the Victoria Ground. He was called into action just before half-time, as Martin Harvey had to go off with an injury, in a thrilling 4 – 2 defeat against Stoke City. I was really excited heading into our home game against Nottingham Forest the following week, with Bobby named as substitute again.
This turned out to be our first league victory of this season at the eleventh attempt, but unfortunately, Bobby was an unused substitute. The following week at Spurs, Bobby was once again called into action from the substitutes’ bench, coming on in the 72nd minute for Bobby Kerr as we won two games in succession for the only time that season in 1969/70.
Finally, Bobby made his full debut on the left-hand side of midfield against Everton (who would go on to win the title) in a 3 – 1 defeat. Sunderland actually took the lead in that game with a Dennis Tueart goal and played some nice football at times, with Colin Todd man – of – the – match. Bobby played well enough on his full debut to keep his place in the team to play Arsenal at Roker Park the following week.
I was so chuffed to see seventeen-year-old Bobby trot out that day (despite the fog that enveloped Roker), and he put in a performance that showcased all his talent with some fine touches on the ball and some grit and stamina off it. He slid a fantastic pass to put Joe Baker in on goal (but Joe fluffed his lines), and then almost won the game with a cracking shot just over the hour that pulled a fingertip save from Barnett in the Arsenal goal. The 1 – 1 draw was typical of our results that season, losing games we might have drawn, drawing games we should have won!
Nonetheless, Bobby’s man – of – the – match performance against the Gunners really did feel like he had announced his arrival to the first team and to Roker fans who had not seen him play for the youth team.
He went on to play twenty-seven games in total that season, with a further three coming on as a substitute. Most of the games following the Arsenal match were played as a right winger.
The team that season had Park and Mick McGiven, Dennis Tueart, and Colin Todd, as well as Bobby Kerr and Billy Hughes, just slightly older. Richie Pitt also made an impact that season with nineteen games in all competitions alongside Colin Todd, having made his full debut in March of the previous season.
In hindsight, I have often wondered what a difference Ian Porterfield might have made to Park’s introduction to top-tier football, as well as his impact on the season in general. Porterfield had a falling out of sorts with Brown in pre-season, and his punishment was banishment to the reserves for a whole season, a season which finished with our second-ever relegation, both under the same manager.
There were many difficult aspects to being a Sunderland fan in this season and very few bright spots, but Bobby Park was definitely one bright shining light. He scored two goals in his breakout season, and I was fortunate to witness them both.
His first top-tier strike came in a crucial game against fellow strugglers Ipswich at Roker Park on December 6th. Gordon Harris had given us the lead in a tight contest, then Colin Viljoen had equalised. Just before the half-hour mark, Bobby took a clever pass from Harris on the edge of the box and struck a characteristically sweet strike that bulged the net before you could blink. It was a cracking goal to win an extremely tense contest.
That week was a very good week for me and Bobby Park.
I was attending an inner-city grammar school in Newcastle (the same school that Brian Chambers and Mick McGiven had attended) and had taken absolute pelters earlier in the season when Newcastle had hammered us 3 – 0 on their patch. The pelters had started right after the game when I was spotted in the Haymarket bus station making my way home to Morpeth by a group of my fellow pupils, mostly in the year above me. This had continued upon return to school that following Monday; blows were exchanged, and detention handed out, as the increasingly aggressive ribbing took a nasty turn. It had been a chastening experience, as I learned the hard way that they (Toonies) were always going to outnumber the few Sunderland fans at school. I was itching for some payback, though, and it came in the FA Youth Cup with a midweek trip to St James’ Park on December 3rd. I joined a couple of other Sunderland-supporting schoolmates for the game, and we had a top night watching our youths dominate and outplay the Mags in no uncertain style. Bobby Park and Richie Pitt were the goalscorers, and Bobby was head and shoulders the best player on the park that night as we ran out 2 – 0 winners.
I worked my ticket with those lads for a week and more, as I conveniently forgot about my dad’s advice regarding a bit of humility in victory. Thanks for creating that opportunity for me, Bobby!
Bobby’s second goal could not have come on a bigger stage: Good Friday, March 27th, 1970, in front of 51,950 fans at Roker Park for the derby. I had retained a youthful hope that we could win this game, irrespective of us being bottom of the league. Newcastle would field five future and one former Sunderland player in their team that day (Pop Robson, Bobby Moncur, Tommy Gibb, Alan Foggon, Ron Guthrie, and Dave Elliott).
Newcastle dominated the game; Jimmy Montgomery, Martin Harvey, and Colin Todd were standouts in that first half for us. The Mags took the lead through Jimmy ‘Jinky’ Smith in the 51st minute; the goal triggered Sunderland to come out and play a bit more, and on 75 minutes, we were back in the game. A Bobby Kerr free-kick found Dennis Tueart’s head at the far post. He calmly laid the ball to the edge of the box, where Bobby had timed his run to perfection. He connected with the ball, unleashing a rip-snorter of a shot that cannoned off the underside of the bar and over the line. Dennis Tueart dived in to head the ball back into the net, just in case the referee had any doubts, and we all went bonkers. It was the quality moment of the game, and the unlikely point lifted us off the bottom of the table.
It was not enough to save us from relegation but did give me a lot of scope at school to ‘big up’ our young players.
The following season, 1970/71, Bobby made twenty-five appearances and eleven substitute appearances, scoring two goals again as we finished a disappointing thirteenth in Division Two. Dick Malone and Dave Watson had joined the squad by Christmas time, and Colin Todd had sadly left us by the end of February. Brian Chambers made his debut from the youth team in this season.
Even at seventeen years of age, Bobby had something about him, that X factor, if you will, that made him stand out. At five foot eleven inches and weighing in at less than ten stone, he was tall and slim, but that frame was deceptive. He had tremendous stamina and was as brave as they come in the tackle. I loved to watch him carry the ball forwards; he had a great eye for a defence-splitting pass and could smite the ball with accuracy. He was extremely versatile and could play left – or right-hand side in defence, midfield, or attack.
We approached the 1971/72 season with a degree of optimism. There were a few signs that a real team was coming together towards the end of the previous season.
In the first game of the season, Bobby turned out at left-back against Birmingham City. The weather was absolutely foul leading into the game, and many fans thought the game had been cancelled. It should have been; the pitch was a bit of a lottery.
A first-half tackle saw Bobby collapse in a heap, and as I watched him stretchered from the field, it did not cross my mind that we would never see him play again.
In 1972/73, he was on his way back from the injury when he broke the same leg again in training. There was to be no coming back from this.
In 1975, he shared a benefit match with his youth team colleague Richie Pitt, who had also experienced a career-ending injury, against AZ Alkmaar.
Bobby Park was a great loss to Sunderland AFC. I have little doubt, had he not been injured, that he would have been part of our 1973 Cup final team; he was a quality player who appeared seventy-two times (including fifteen as a substitute) for Sunderland in all competitions, scoring seven goals between August 1969 and August 1971.
His light shone bright for too short a spell, but I, like many who saw him play, will not forget this tall, slim Scot, who graced our park for two seasons.
