Bobby Gurney and Raich Carter are legendary names at Sunderland AFC; rightly so. They are two locally born players who scaled heights that have never subsequently been matched, and together were part of a Sunderland side that is one of the best the club’s ever seen.
And, on this day 94 years ago, they served notice of what was to come, with a devastating display at Roker Park against Bolton team who tried to give as good as they got, but ultimately came up short.
This was Raich Carter’s Roker Park
debut. The 18-year-old had been given his first outing at Hillsborough a couple of weeks earlier and had kept his place the following week for a win in North Yorkshire against Middlesbrough.
Bobby Gurney had missed the game in Sheffield through injury, but had been back in the starting line up at Ayresome Park as Jimmy Connor and Benny Yorston notched in a 2-1 victory.
Back on home soil, Patsy Gallacher came back into the team for Yorston, with youngster Carter retaining his place in a forward line also containing Jimmy Connor and Jimmy Temple, a speedy, little winger we’d signed from Division Three South side Fulham the previous year.
While it was a game Carter was no doubt looking forward to, it would be a surprise if many of the other players were particularly keen when they drew back the curtains on the morning of the game: it was blowing a gale, and the rain was belting down. Certainly not a day to be venturing outdoors if you didn’t absolutely have to – and that was reflected in the crowd, with just over 10,000 getting to Roker Park for kick off.
Those who were there, however, witnessed a brilliant game: one of Gurney’s best for the club, and were there to witness the first of Raich Carter’s 128 goals for his boyhood team. And the crowd who had braved the elements were treated to eight goals in the opening 45.
Sunderland were defending the Fulwell End in the first half after losing the toss, and goalkeeper Jimmy Thorpe was called into early action early on to make a clearance from Bolton forward Milson.
However, it was the home team that drew first blood – Gurney chased a pass wide right of goal and swung the ball in first time, missing the onrushing Gallacher but finding Connor who drove the ball home in style.
Sunderland had started strongly – playing fast football and finding wingers Connor and Temple well – and on eight minutes it was 2-0, taking on a shot on the turn when everyone, including Bolton keeper Jones, was expecting a cross. Gurney had become known for taking opportunities to shoot when others wouldn’t – and reaping the rewards – and this was a case in point.
Young Carter was showing up well, too. He’d taken some ‘fine touches’ in the opening stages, and scored his first ever Sunderland first team goal after quarter of an hour.
Sunderland had been awarded a free kick for handball against Bolton’s Tom Griffiths on the edge of the box. The ball was tapped to Carter, who feigned to pass the ball to Connor, sending defenders the wrong way, and hammered the ball into the goal, past the well-beaten Jones.
Seconds later, Carter was denied a spectacular second – Jones getting some form of revenge by tipping the ball round the post from a wonderful shot.
Sunderland kept up the intensity and pressure, and it was now Carter’s turn to be provider, teaming up well with Connor at the corner flag to get past the Bolton defenders and put the ball over to Gurney, who beat Jones with a great shot just inside the post to make it 4-0 – and it was 5-0 shortly before the 30 minute mark.
Gallacher was stopped in his tracks by a tackle from Howarth, but Temple picked up the ball, dribbled beautifully towards goal and planed a left foot shot into the back of the net.
That seeemed to spur Bolton into action – Thorpe had to make his first save of the game, pushing Milsom’s effort out for a corner, and Gibson then pulled one back for the visitors shortly afterwards.
Sunderland weren’t in the mood to let up though, and Carter put an effort just over the bar following a corner he himself had won. Five minutes before half time, Sunderland did get their sixth, and it was Gurney how pounded on a Finney miskick to score a ‘scorcher’ into the roof of the net from more than 25 yards.
It was a hattrick for Gurney – and there was still time for more first half action. Gallacher twice went close to making it seven – but when the half’s final goal came, it was scored by Bolton; Gibson scoring after Sunderland’s Jock McDougall had got a head to Bolton corner.
A half-time 6-2 scoreline would certainly have created much to talk about during the break for the hardy souls who’d braved the condition, and the action in the second half did not let up. With Sunderland attacking the Fulwell End, Gurney came close to grabbing a fourth from Connor’s centre, and then Gallacher was denied by a brilliant one-handed save from Jones.
But Gurney was not to be denied, and he bagged his seventh by tapping in the rebound, after Carter’s shot hit the post. Carter had worked the opportunity himself, and had certainly impressed on his home first-team debut.
That goal came on 56 minutes, and three minutes later Bolton had got another back – Butler driving the ball home at pace after Westwood hit the crossbar.
The visitors had upped their game but Sunderland were still playing very well, albeit playing with the wind was proving more difficult than playing against it.
A splendid Carter dribble and pass to Gurney almost set up another, and the latter was denied from close range after an excellent bit of play by Gallacher presented an opportunity, while Jones made another couple of exceptional saves to prevent Sunderland adding to the scoreline.
It was Bolton who scored the 11th and final goal of the game – Butler heading home past Thorpe on 75. This equalled the number of record number of goals scored in a Sunderland first-team game at Roker, and was a record that was never beaten in the old ground’s life.
It could have been, however, with the visitors having the better of the final exchanges. Thorpe made an excellent save to prevent Bolton scoring a fifth, while at the other end Gurney forced another good save from Jones, after good work from Temple and Gallacher.
In the Echo, Argus wrote after the game:
The ground conditions lent themselves to a remarkable match, but one cannot refrain from congratulating the Sunderland players upon a splendid exhibition, and Bolton Wanderers for fighting back after they were at one stage five goals in arrears.
This was the type of ground that makes Gurney one of the most dangerous centre forwards playing in English football. It was his “day out,” and his display entitles him to a share of the glory for the side as a whole, which was under his leadership.
Carter, too, played some wonderfully good football, and if Gallacher remained goalless to the end it was not for want of trying, or because of any lack of help.
The whole line played well. The defence did well up to a point, and I liked the display of the two young wing halves. They both used the ball to advantage.
Jones had a disastrous afternoon, but goalkeepers don’t often meet such shooting as one witnessed in this match.
The Wanderers had more finesse than Sunderland, without being so aggressive.
Clever close play does not always pay, but a team that can score four goals away from home after being so far in arrears cannot be said to have done badly.
In the Sunday Sun, meanwhile, Gurney was heralded as producing an ‘international class’ performance, while on Raich Carter, ‘Mirror’ – who highlighted the youngster’s goal as the best of the game – said:
[Carter’s] play throughout was on a very high plane, and one sees in him a star of the future.
