The release of the new fixtures always creates excitement and eager anticipation for the coming season. That very first match, however, seems to carry a little extra interest, particularly when you remember that self-same fixture from the dim and distant past. I knew I had been to Portman Road in August, but couldn’t be sure if it was the first game or the first away game of the season.
As it turns out, the match I remember was indeed the first game of the 1981/82 season and now, 45 years later, we
have the same fixture to look forward to.
Looking at both clubs then and now, there are a few similarities and obviously quite a few differences. Back then, Ipswich Town were enjoying a long period of stability and success under Bobby Robson. He had been with the club since 1969 and would finally leave at the end of this season to take up the England role.
The team had performed consistently well for a decent length of time – from the 1972/73 season right through to the 1982/83 season, Ipswich were in the top ten of the old First Division, apart from one year (1977/78) – the sort of achievement any club would be rightly proud of.
Added to that, they were becoming noted for European football and had just won the UEFA Cup in May, beating AZ Alkmaar 5-4 over the two-legged final. They had also finished second in the league, four points behind champions Aston Villa.
In contrast, Sunderland were struggling to find any sort of consistency in the league. The previous season for the Lads was the first back in the top flight after a brief absence, and it went right down to the wire. To guarantee safety, a win at Anfield on the final day of the season was needed, so it was with fear and trepidation that we travelled across to Liverpool. However, there was nothing to fear as a strong strike from Stan Cummins gave us a 1 – 0 victory, although I did think Liverpool took their foot off the gas, with North-Easterner Ray Kennedy not asserting himself in midfield as was often the case. A famous win, yet Norwich’s home loss to Leeds meant that the win did not really matter.
So Sunderland came into the first match of the 1981/82 season on the back of a tough campaign, up against high-flying European winners on their home patch. Alan Durban had been appointed manager in the summer, taking over from caretaker manager Mick Docherty, and he got pulses racing with the signing of Ally McCoist. Therefore, there were reasons to be cheerful when 29 August (a late start) came around and we visited Portman Road in the sunshine.
So Sunderland came into the first match of the 1981/82 season on the back of a tough campaign, up against high-flying European winners on their home patch. Alan Durban had been appointed manager in the summer, taking over from caretaker manager Mick Docherty, and he got pulses racing with the signing of Ally McCoist. Therefore, there were reasons to be cheerful when 29 August (a late start) came around and we visited Portman Road in the sunshine.
I knew the ground from watching football on television; there always seemed to be a good atmosphere, especially for midweek games “under the lights”. But the thing that struck me was the slightly extended grassed area behind the goals which went right up to the terracing. Anyway, there was a good turnout in the away end and they generated plenty of noise.
Ipswich were a classy team at the time, with Paul Mariner up front and Thijssen and Muhren in midfield. Sunderland gave debuts to Iain Munro and Nick Pickering, with McCoist coming off the bench on the hour mark for his debut. It was an entertaining match on a hot day and both sets of supporters were put through the wringer.
Despite some heavy pressure and close calls, Sunderland took the lead through Tom Ritchie just before half time. Then, shortly after the restart, Mick Buckley doubled the lead. But crucially, in this encounter Sunderland failed to consolidate that two-goal advantage. John Wark pulled one back almost immediately, and then Mick Buckley restored the two-goal buffer after being nicely set up by McCoist.
Yet again, however, Ipswich replied at once, this time through Eric Gates (of all people). This led to a very nervy final quarter of the match, and Gates got his second and the equaliser with 10 minutes to go. Sunderland managed to hold on for a point at the end, although there was a lot of talk about what might have been.
After the match we stopped at a service station, closely followed by the Sunderland team who looked pretty fed up. I had a word with Rob Hindmarch (always had a lot of time for him) who said that they were disappointed, but a point away at Ipswich was not to be sniffed at.
Fast forward to 2026 and would we sniff at a point in August again? Probably not, I think, assuming that Ipswich approach this fixture with a similar attitude to ours against West Ham in the opening game of last season.
It is strange how things unfold in sport. This time round Ipswich are not really settled; Kieran McKenna decided to take a break and has been replaced by Gary O’Neil, and they have been moving up and down the leagues in recent times. Conversely, Sunderland seem to have put in place solid blocks on which to build consistency and maintain a presence at the top table. In addition, it is Sunderland who are the team in Europe.
Is it too fanciful to dream of matching Ipswich on the European front by winning the Europa League? Of course not. This is why we love football, and I for one never thought that I would see my team qualify for Europe – it always seemed to be for supporters of other clubs. We have to go to Portman Road full of optimism and enjoy the Sunderland project.
