Second-tier Cambridge United stood between Sunderland and a place in round three of the Milk Cup – and based on their performance at the Abbey Stadium in the first leg, John Docherty’s side must have fancied
their chances to progress.
With an hour gone in the first match the Lads had looked to be in cruise control courtesy of goals from Gary Rowell (2) and Colin West, but a late rally from the hosts had brought them back into contention ahead of the Roker return – strikes from Robbie Cooke and Martin Goldsmith ensuring the second leg would be anything but a formality.
Keen to progress but with only a slender advantage to play with, boss Alan Durban had little wriggle room in terms of selection. There were to be no wholesale changes or throwing in of the kids, with the only alteration to the team that had played in the league at the weekend being forced upon him – a hamstring strain for Ian Atkins meaning John Cooke was handed his first start of the campaign.
With Atkins unavailable, Paul Bracewell was named Sunderland captain for the first time. There was to be an important tactical change too, as Durban was forced to shelve the sweeper system he had been trying to introduce and revert instead to a traditional back four. The switch initially seemed to be working though when Gary Rowell converted an early penalty, but what came after that was an action-packed affair in which the defence was asked some serious questions.
The spot kick had been awarded for a Steve Fallon foul on West and was put away with trademark ease by Rowell, who had now converted 20 successive penalties. Undeterred however, Cambridge mounted another fight back and remarkably, were soon level on aggregate score as Fallon atoned with a back-header and Kevin Smith followed up with a smart finish. It remined 2-2 on the night for around 20 minutes, with both sides going at it and forcing each other to withstand some heavy pressure. Sunderland racked up no less than 17 corners during the match and from one of these they eked ahead again, as Mark Proctor forced the ball over the line.
It was Proctor’s first goal in Sunderland colours, coming moments before Rowell increased the gap when he capitalised on clever buildup play from Shaun Elliott and Bracewell, yet it wasn’t until the second half that the tie was put to bed for certain. John Cooke, who was being watched from the stands by Sheffield Wednesday boss Howard Wilkinson and his assistant, former Roker coach Peter Eustace, pounced on a goalkeeping slip from Malcolm Webster to kill off United’s resolve. The Sunderland links did not end their either, for Tom Finney, who had swapped Wearside for Cambridgeshire in 1976, was featuring for the visitors alongside Jamie Murray, who in less than a year’s time would head up north for a short loan stint. Twenty year old David Moyes, who was on Cambridge’s books at the time, didn’t make the teamsheet.
Although resigned to going out of the competition Cambridge still looked to expose a creaky Sunderland rearguard, and Barry Venison had to clear a Graham Heward attempt off the line to stop them building up steam again. There were chances at the other end too, with West hitting the post and Gordon Chisholm twice going close, but when Robbie Cooke managed to nab a late consolation it meant the final score on the evening was a fairer reflection of how the contest had gone; Sunderland were deserved winners, but had still struggled with the change in formation and sorely missed the man that had been their Player of the Season in 1982-83.
Atkins was back by the next round, which saw the club paired with Norwich City. The Canaries would progress after a replay and the following season would end Sunderland’s Milk Cup hopes in the final, but prior to all of that, fans had at least been given plenty of goals in the two clashes with Cambridge, who had given as good as they got before bowing out.
Wednesday 26 October 1983
Milk Cup round two, second leg
Sunderland 4 (Rowell (pen) 3’, 35, Proctor 34’, Cooke 49’)
Cambridge United 3 (Fallon 12’, Smith 14’, Cooke 88’)
Sunderland: Turner; Venison, Chisholm, Proctor, Elliott; Cooke, Bracewell, Pickering, James; Rowell, West Unused: Atkinson
Cambridge: Webster, Donaldson, Murray, Pyle, Fallon, Finney, Heward, Sinton (Clark 83), Cooke, Smith, Nicholls.
Roker Park, attendance 9,059
