During the 1950s, floodlit games added a dash of glamour to the footballing schedule, with the high-profile visit of Moscow Dynamo in 1955 proving to be one of the most intriguing games staged in Sunderland
that decade.
The match itself, played on Monday 14 November, saw the Lads fall to a narrow defeat against their star-studded guests, bringing to an end a hugely entertaining few days that included a 4-4 draw with Burnley in the league over the weekend, and had started when the Dynamo party arrived on Wearside early evening on Thursday 10 November.
Hosting a twenty five-strong party was big news for the town and the story was covered extensively in the Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette’s Friday 11 editions, including a front-page photo on the six o’clock run, showing the players visiting the Town Hall earlier in the day for a civic reception. Appearing alongside them as they drank cups of tea were Mayor Alderwoman Miss E.E Blacklock, Mayoress Mrs M.H Smith, and chairman of the club Mr E.W Ditchburn OBE.
Once the reception was over, the Dynamo players were reportedly heading for Thorney Close Secondary Modern School, where they were due to train, having used their opportunity with the Mayor to ask for a couple of favours.
Moscow’s Vice-President Mr Kuprianov instructed his interpreter to ask if Miss Blacklock would be able to approach the BBC and make some enquiries about broadcast arrangements for the upcoming game, before asking if their accommodation arrangements could be revised — the group seemingly unhappy at being placed in separate sections of a seafront hotel that meant they were also a “rather a long way out of town”.
Whilst the Mayor replied that she would see what she could do, Town Clerk Mr G.S McIntire later briefed reporters and said that “It would not be right for the Mayor to intervene in an international matter” with the suggestion being that upon reflection, the Foreign Office would be better placed to consult the BBC regarding national and international media coverage.
It was also explained that hotel accommodation for such large parties was scarce and that living near the coast herself, Mayor Blacklock was content that it was only a short bus ride from the centre of town.
Prior to the logistical talk, a more ceremonial gathering in the Mayor’s Parlour had witnessed a speech from Mayor Blacklock, in which she said she would prefer Sunderland to win on Monday evening but didn’t really mind as long as it was a good match. Her words, once translated, were appreciated by the Russian attendees, with Mr Kuprianov responding by placing a Dynamo Club badge on the Mayor’s lapel to loud applause.
There was seemingly a busy programme in place for the visitors, with a trip to a Pallion glass factory and a cinema trip to see a “musical film” both being pencilled in.
Some had already strolled along the seafront taking photographs, whilst a local man who worked as a commercial traveller and spoke Russian — Mr V. Phillips — was asked to guide members around some of the other sights. Mr Phillips informed the Echo that the Soviets all “Had freedom of movement. Their team manager does not mind them going about singly or together — as long as they are there for training spells. Why do they want to see a musical film? It is easier for them to follow”.
Dynamo’s initial arrival had prompted around five hundred members of the public to gather outside Sunderland Central Station and welcome them off a train.
They were travelling from Birmingham having played Wolverhampton Wanders earlier in the week and joining them on the journey north were members of the Sunderland squad who’d watched the game in person. According to Sunderland boss Bill Murray, the two sets of players had then mingled freely and shared stories about their home lives whilst attending a banquet together in the Midlands, and once off the train striker, Ted Purdon stated that the mood had been “jolly”.
Mr Ditchburn and director Mr J.Parker received the Dynamo tourists at the station and were first introduced to Mr Kuprianov, who was heading up the expedition.
Alongside him was the interpreter, three trainers, a doctor, a masseur and seventeen players. Once through the crowds, they boarded a Sunderland AFC team coach, with the general consensus from those that had caught a glimpse being that despite their background the players could have easily been mistaken for a “bunch of happy miners on a night out”, looking the part in Geordie-style cloth caps. One local woman stated “They don’t look any different to us Durham folk — you would think they had just come over from Houghton”.
Upon arriving at their accommodation (believed to be the Seaburn Hotel) the players sat down for a dinner of smoked salmon, rump steak and mixed grill, with their interpreter advising the party wanted only “ordinary food” and “nothing special”.
Bedtime was set for 22:30, with some managing to squeeze in a maiden trip to the cinema for a showing of The Country Girl starring Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby beforehand. Upon retiring to their rooms, each guest found a bowl of fruit, cigarettes and a syphon of soda.
As well as Thorney Close, Seaburn Camp had been made available for training.
Dynamo certainly wanted to be at their best, for their arrival had clearly piqued interest — as well as the latest on the visit, the November 11 edition of the Echo carried an important appeal from Sunderland Police asking supporters going to the rare all-ticket game to arrive early due to fears about heavy congestion. Superintendent G.W Howe advised motorists in the town to co-operate with traffic instructions and avoid the peak tea-time period if possible, whilst also confirming that members of the Special Constables’ section had been drafted in to help with crowd management.
Presumably, those planning on going to Roker Park felt very fortunate as even though home favourite Len Shackleton was an injury doubt, theirs were hot tickets, with queues forming well before sales had opened and club staff selling at a rate of more than one hundred per minute.
Another column on November 11 reported that the day before, around 10,000 disappointed fans let out an enormous groan when the “sold out”’ signs started to appear at around 18:00, although many remained on site on the off chance more would become available, whilst others instead went to seek out touts.
Prior to a rainstorm that forced those lingering to head for home, these touts were already at work, charging around 10s for a 2s 6d ticket, with one ‘vendor’ claiming to make 22s every thirty seconds.
At their peak, queues for the Roker End had stretched all the way along Roker Baths Road and into Fulwell Road, whilst those in line for a Fulwell end spot snaked up and down Association Road five times. Supporters hoping to be in the grand stand (the Main Stand, as it later became known) or Clock Stand stacked up from the ground’s official entrance all the way to Leeds Steet.
Some fans even arrived on organised coaches and although there were no concerns about behaviour, police reinforcements had to been drafted in to aide traffic flow in surrounding streets.
The first person to arrive was fifteen-year-old Edward Ward of Southwick, who appeared at midnight and slept in a Fulwell End doorway. He was joined shortly afterwards by Mr N.Gowland, a bus driver from nearby Stranton Terrace, who took it in turns with his family to wait, whilst Mr T.McQuillen, a crane slinger from Hylton Road, was at the front of those waiting at the Roker End and was soon joined by four miners who’d finished a shift at Westoe Colliery before immediately walking all the way to the stadium.
A large proportion of those in line were actually buying on behalf of others, with scores of wives or mothers of those in work waiting patiently and often with young children accompanying them in prams.
Mrs J.Nichol of Percy Terrace got the first grand stand seat for her son, who was working out of town that day, and even the local dignitaries had to wait their turn, with Mayoress Smith spotted in the hordes. This showed extra dedication as presumably she would’ve otherwise been expected to attend an experimental helicopter presentation that had taken place earlier in the day at Usworth Aerodrome, where several senior figures were flown five hundred feet above the town.
Exciting times for Sunderland indeed!
*This glamour match and apparently convivial trip from Moscow took place amid the Cold War and with other tensions playing out in the background.
An example of this was a separate story on page six of the Echo on November 11, which stated nine Soviet farm technicians had just been refused visas by the United States Embassy. The representatives had claimed they wanted to study hybrid corn production but were informed that there was insufficient time to arrange the “ambitious programme” they had suggested.
It also appears as if the discussion with Mayor Blacklock regarding media coverage of the game was part of a wider issue surrounding the tour. Accompanying the Dynamo party was their own commentator, Mr V. Simiavsky, whose presence had admittedly caused minor consternation and prompted a protest from the Soviet Embassy due to “the failure of the British authorities to provide a line for him to broadcast” ahead of the Wolves meeting.
However, a Foreign Office official responded by saying they had already confirmed that facilities would be provided if they received assurances the BBC would not be ‘jammed’ in any way.
One party that sadly would not be on duty at Roker Park was that of the volunteer commentators for the hospital broadcast service. Mr A. Forman, one of the volunteers, explained that due to technical reasons and lack of space caused by the increased interest, it would be impossible for them to relay the first half to patients on this occasion.
To give an indication of how dedicated these commentators were, when First Vienna had played at Roker Park earlier in the month, Mr Forman contacted the Austrians and asked for phonetic spellings of their players’ names, but patients this time would instead have to make do with BBC coverage of the second half only. Millions of viewers across England were thought to have watched the Molineux action live on television.
