During our On This Week podcasts during the summer, we’ve commented a lot about the number of pre-season games Sunderland played against both Newcastle and Middlesbrough in the 70s and early 80s.
Run outs against our local rivals make a lot of sense to some extent. Decent gate receipts, a real ‘test’, and not far to travel. However, in reality, you’re rarely going to get a nice, quiet, enjoyable day out.
And, so it proved on this day in 1981, as Sunderland took on Newcastle at Roker Park for a Saturday
afternoon ‘friendly’.
In fact, it was the second game against Newcastle in a matter of days. We’d played out a 1-1 draw at the Newcastle City Council Field in front of 9982 spectators in midweek, and a few days later, a crowd of more than 10,000 – including 4000 supporting the black and whites – headed to Roker.
It was a period of significant change for Sunderland, and with the season looming there was more uncertainty than certainty around the club.
After achieving promotion just over a year earlier, Ken Knighton’s reign had been brought to an abrupt end and under the caretaker management of Mick Docherty, Sunderland had just stayed up.
Alan Durban had been appointed manager, and was trying to build a squad of his own – however, he needed to move players on before he could invest significantly.
Before the game – the second last pre-season friendly before league action was due to begin – Durban said only six players were certain of remaining at the club, with the vast majority seemingly having ‘for sale’ signs around their necks.
He was planning to formally transfer list six or seven of the squad on Monday, and he said:
“There are another 10 players I would consider offers for.
“There are three players in America I haven’t seen yet and together with six or seven other players they would see us into a safe middle of the table position.
“The others I would consider offers for but who won’t officially be on the list have got to prove there is a future for them at Sunderland.
“I also hope that two or three who are on the list will roll their sleeves up and prove me wrong.”
One of those players that Durban was keen to move on was Sam Allardyce, who had been unsettled throughout his time at Roker, primarily due to property issues off the field – and a number of managers and scouts were due to be at Roker Park to run the rule over the Sunderland squad.
I can’t get the best out of Sam due to the difficulties he has had in selling his Bolton property. I also want to make room to bring in other players.
Alan Durban
Preston manager Tommy Docherty – Mick’s old man – was taking a look at Big Sam, while another in-demand Rokerite was John Hawley, with Chelsea’s manager John Neal in attendance to run the rule over the former Leeds man.
And, it was Allardyce and Hawley who starred in an entertaining game that saw the home team run out 2-1 winners. With Allardyce solid and composed at the back, it was Hawley’s tenacity and endeavour that made him the standout player against top-flight Sunderland’s second division rivals.
Newcastle had had the better of the early exchanges, but Hawley scored a brave, near post diving header from a Tom Ritchie cross after 19 minutes, and but for a god save from Kevin Carr in the Newcastle goal, it would have been two headed goals for the striker.
Newcastle equalised just before the break – a good ball from Nigel Walker was flicked on by John Trewick, and Alan Shoulder scored past Chris Turner.
In the second 45, Sunderland grabbed a winner and it was the two in-demand players who played their role. Another Hawley header produced a great save from Carr – but from the resultant corner, Allardyce headed home.
Hawley’s performance had earned rave reviews – indeed, opposition manager Arthur Cox, himself looking for a new striker, had his interest piqued.
Unfortunately for Hawley, however, Alan Durban – the manager he most wanted to impress – was nowhere to be seen.
The new Sunderland boss had left first team coach Docherty in charge as he headed north of the border on a scouting mission to find a new striker. In his sights, St Johnstone’s Ally McCoist; although all of the paper talk on Sunday was that Rangers had beaten Sunderland – and Middlesbrough and Wolves – to McCoist’s signature.
Off the field, however, things were far from ‘friendly’. Sixty five arrests were made for public order offences as fans fought before, during and after the game. In a ‘pitched battle in Roker Avenue, a female police constable was knocked unconscious by a flying brick, and post boxes on Roker Baths Road were set alight.
“There was an awful lot of aggravation and disturbance at this game, considering it was a friendly.”
Northumbria Police
While we had a couple more friendly games with Middlesbrough since then, that was the last time Sunderland and Newcastle lined up in a friendly game.
I can’t ever imagine it happening again.
