I wasn’t lucky enough to have seen Colin Todd play in the red and white stripes for Sunderland, but I can tell from speaking to anyone who did that he was a once-in-a-generation talent.
Born in County Durham, Todd was wanted by all of the big three clubs in the north-east, but chose Sunderland. It was a decision that resulted in having Brian Clough as his youth team coach before he headed off to become a managerial legend elsewhere.
He made his debut in a top-flight clash at Stamford Bridge against
Chelsea just a couple of months short of his 18th birthday, and it didn’t take long for him to become a first team regular. For his first three seasons, however, Sunderland struggled in the bottom half of the First Division and in 1969-70 we suffered our second relegation in the club’s history.
Todd was too good for the Second Division, and as Alan Brown’s Sunderland got off to a shaky start, the vultures began to circle around what talent was on offer at Roker.
On this day in 1970, Sunderland were still licking their wounds after a defeat two days earlier against Leicester City at Filbert Street – with Len Glover scoring the only goal of the game – but news was breaking that Manchester United were poised to test Sunderland with a bid of £150,000 for our 21-year-old captain.
But there was a united front on show at Roker, with the first words of defiance coming from the manager Alan Brown:
As far as I am concerned Todd is not for sale. We have had no approach from Manchester United and it is totally untrue to suggest that he will be going to Old Trafford.
This message was confirmed by then chairman Jack Parker:
If there was any possibility of Todd going to Manchester I would know about it. It is a lot of utter rubbish.
Around three months later, he was sold to Brian Clough’s Derby County for a British record fee of £175,000.
Meanwhile, Todd returned to Leicester on this day in 1970 to join the England Under-23 squad for an upcoming clash against West Germany at Filbert Street 48 hours later.
He would return to the scene of the crime in some respects after being booked in the last minute during the game days earlier for a foul on Leicester’s leader Alastair Brown.
This meant his name went in the book for the second time in seven months and for the fifth time in 14 months, but Todd was already under a 14-day suspended sentence imposed on February 20 and one more booking would put him in line for a long suspension.
Also called up to the England Under-23 squad by Sir Alf Ramsey was Northumberland-born Ray Kennedy, who had joined Arsenal from New Hartley Juniors a couple of years earlier. Kennedy was among three replacements and the others were Steve Kember (Crystal Palace) and Stoke City’s Mike Bernard.
The revised team was: Shilton (Leicester); Edwards (Manchester U.), Robson (Derby); Todd (Sunderland), Lloyd (Liverpool), Kember (Crystal Palace); Thomas (Burnley), Bernard (Stoke), Royle (Everton), Kennedy (Arsenal), Kidd (Manchester U.).
In other news…
It was a frustrating time for Sunderland fans after a second successive 1-0 defeat two days earlier, but it was reported that it got worse for ten of them in Leicester at the weekend.
Twenty people in total, including ten from Sunderland, were arrested after incidents during and after the game at Filbert Street and were due to appear before Leicester magistrates.
It was reported that trouble began on the terraces where fighting broke out, which continued outside the ground after the game. Charges brought included carrying offensive weapons, threatening behaviour and occasioning bodily harm.
Meanwhile… Donald Rankin from Newcastle signed full-time professional forms for Sunderland on his 17th birthday on this day in 1970 as Roker Park hosted a schools fixture at 7.30 that evening.
Sunderland would field an under-18 side to take on a Durham Senior Schools side in a game that would act as a county trial:
SUNDERLAND: Swinburne, Rankin, Hepworth, Robson, Leadbitter, Kelly; Mitchell, Blyth, Shannon, Connor, Ronte. Res.: Holling, Ainslie, Bolton.
DURHAM SENIOR SCHOOLS: Brown (Tanfield), Easton (Bede), Trevis (Northlea School, Seaham), (Usworth), Peacock (Northlea), Duncan (Johnson), Edwards (Northlea), John Weathers (Northlea), A. Dent (Bede), Robson (Bede), Candler (Bede).
Reserves: Harrison (Ryhope), Taggart (Monkwearmouth), Thompson (Bede), Clements (Usworth), J. Dent (Ferryhill), Nichol (Monkwearmouth).
