As regular readers will know, our ‘On This Day’ articles typically focus on major games and significant events at Sunderland AFC. However, the rich tapestry that forms the club’s history is made up of
a whole host of games, players and events that happen – and some are rarely talked about again.
Take a game that happened On This Day 111 years ago against Everton at Goodison Park, for example.
Our regular goalkeeper, the teenager Leslie Scott, was missing due to injury, and manager Robert Kyle gave a debut to 23-year-old backup keeper James Boe.
Boe, who was born in Gateshead, Co Durham, and had joined Sunderland from a local Gateshead team, Rodsley FC, in May of that year.
Sunderland had won the league in 1912/13, and finished 7th in 1913/14, however, the 14/15 season had seen a patchy run of form, with the lads sitting in 13th place ahead of the trip to Merseyside. The context of this game is important to consider too – War had been declared in August, and the players were playing knowing they’d likely be called to serve sooner rather than later.
The team travelled by train the day before, and Sunderland were in a confident mood – in the past four meetings between the clubs, the lads had come out on top, scoring 16 goals and only conceding two.
In good weather, in front of 35,000 spectators packed into Goodison, Boe was Sunderland’s only change from the previous weekend’s 2-1 home reverse to West Brom, and the away team started strongly. Scottish striker George Philip missed two good early chances but after just five minutes Everton went ahead after Bert Hobson miskicked to let in Frank Jefferis. Despite the scoreline, there was little to choose between the two teams, and Philips and Jackie Mordue combined well to cause the Everton defence problems, including a strong penalty shout which was turned down by referee WJ Heath and described in the match report as a ‘remarkable escape’.
At the other end, Boe made a ‘fine save’ from George Harrison, while from a Harrison cross Joe Clennell scored but it was disallowed for handball.
Charlie Buchan, who’d had a quiet start to the game, began to impose himself, but after 15 minutes it was 2-0 to the home team, Bobby Parker scoring from a tight angle, hooking the ball back from the touchline over Boe who had left his goal to clear.
A minute later, it was 3-0, Harrison swerving the ball in, giving Boe no chance.
It wasn’t a one-sided contest, however – Sunderland were giving a good account of themselves up until the time came to put the ball into the net; in fact, despite creating several good openings, Tommy Fern in the Everton goal had had little to do. After 20 minutes, though, he was called into action, spectacularly keeping out Buchan’s deflected shot.
At the other end, Parker went close, while Sunderland’s Billy Moore required treatment but was fit enough to continue. After the game restarted, Sunderland counter attacked beautifully from an Everton corner, with Fern once again saving from Buchan.
Hobson’s sliced clearance almost saw him score an own goal, and at the other end Philip shot ‘feebly’ from only a few yards out.
It was an exhilarating game, with only 25 minutes gone at this point, but Everton put the lads out of sight with a further two goals either side of the half hour mark – Clennell scoring after the Sunderland defence failed to clear the ball, and then Harrison set up Parker who smashed the ball home to make it 5-0.
Boe was been given little protection by his defence, and things went from bad to worse as Buchan had to leave the field injured, and Philip was also carried off just before half time.
For reasons unknown, the players switched ends without leaving the field and carried on playing – Buchan returned to the action a few minutes into the second half, but Philip wasn’t patched up until the 56th minute. Before Philip’s reintroduction, Boe had pulled off a brilliant save from Parker, Fleetwood scored a ‘beauty’ into the top corner with Boe beaten all the way to make it 6-0. [Note: While some records attribute two Everton goals to Clennell, the Sunderland Echo match report makes no mention of a second Clennell goal, but describes a goal from Fleetwood in good detail, so I’m going with that.]
Both Harrison and Parker came close to extending the lead, while at the other end, Buchan came close to getting a breakthrough for Sunderland.
Philip returned to the game with his left knee heavily strapped and ‘looking lame’. There were no subs these days of course, so players just had to carry on if it was at all possible.
Fern made a good save from Harry Martin, while Sunderland were holding their own they were very visibly ‘handicapped’ by the condition of Philip.
Buchan came close again, Martin missed by inches with a cross shot, while Fern made another save from Cuggy.
On 78, Sunderland finally found a way past Fern, Buchan scoring after a good run and cross from Martin. Unfortunately, Everton scored one more, Parker scoring a tap-in to complete his hattrick, and the game ended 7-1.
The consensus was that the scoreline had flattered Everton, and that Boe could have done nothing about the seven goals he conceded – however, that was the keeper’s only every appearance for the club, Leslie Scott coming back into the team for Sunderland’s next fixture, at home to Chelsea..
In something of an oddity, however, Boe was on the field that day and played a prominent role in the game. The designated referee, Mr Hitchin of Burnley, was ill and unable to attend the game. One of the linesmen – Mr J Wilson of Leeds – officiated the game, and James Boe took Wilson’s place on the line!
Boe was with the club for another 18 months without making another appearance, joining Southport Central as well as serving in the army for the duration of The Great War.
