Former England striker Eric Gates hadn’t had the most enjoyable time since joining second tier Sunderland instead of top flight Newcastle in 1985. The striker – playing outside of the top flight for the first time in his career – hadn’t really got going at Roker Park, and had been a high-profile target for fans’ frustrations as the club fell to the third division for the first time in their history.
Today, of course, the G Force – Eric’s partnership with Marco Gabbiadini – is legendary, and on his
day, 38 years ago today, that partnership was officially born.
After lining up the previous week in a 4-1 win over Aldershot, in which Gabbiadini netted his first Roker goals, the duo really fired on all cylinders in a home fixture against Wigan Athletic – and after the match, manager Denis Smith was purring at the performance of Gates, who was still on the transfer list.
I’ve not had an enquiry for him, but if he keeps playing like that he might get an England call up!
Eric looked superb, it was a lovely little cameo performance. He’s a joy to watch when he’s knocking it about and laying it off. He could still play in the First Division.
Eric was made available for transfer before my time. You don’t have to sell someone just because they are on the transfer list, you just put up the asking price.
Gates had only got back in the team because of an injury to Keith Bertschin, and the post match talk centred on whether the 32-year-old could cover Bertshin’s absence and save Smith splashing out on another forward. The signs had been there the game before – with Smith commenting before the Wigan game that if they continued to link up the way they had against Aldershot he’d ‘leave them alone’ – although Gates went into the game without a goal in his last eight league games.
In a first 45 that was described as the best Sunderland performance at Roker Park for ‘a long time’, the home team were two up within the opening stages of the game – and both goals came from Gates.
The first was a 12-yard header from a Gary Owers cross from the right, the second he swivelled to fire home in the top corner after Gabbiadini had snaked along the right flank in soon-to-be trademark style.
Future Wigan manager Paul Jewell got one back shortly after, but another Owers cross and another header – this time from Gabbiadini – quickly restored the two goal advantage. Steve Doyle had had a rare strike chalked off by ref Stephen Lodge for a Gates handball before Marco officially extended the lead.
Moments earlier, skipper Gary Bennett, who had been an injury doubt in the run up to the game, hobbled off to by replaced by Frank Gray – but that didn’t halt Smoth’s team’s hold on the game. And, on the hour mark, Gabbiadini made it 4-1, coolly rounding the keeper and holding off a defender after a MacPhail header had put him through.
Gary Owers, who had set up two in a to-now unfamiliar right wing position, had two great chances to extend the lead but failed to take advantage. Owers had been moved from the centre to cover for Paul Lemon’s absence, his central berth taken by another youngster, John Cornforth, who was making his first appearance in the first-team for two and a half years. Smith said:
It was a big day for him [Cornforth]. He didn’t know until two o’clock that he was in the side, but he did very well.
While Cornforth didn’t really kick on at the club, Gabbiadini and, belatedly, Gates, certainly did. And this was the day they really got started.
