As Sunderland supporters we don’t have to think too long and hard for examples of us gifting a goal to the opposition twice in the same game.
Without even digging out the record books, I can recall Terry Butcher and Gary Bennett putting through their own net in a home game against Charlton at Roker in 1992. But, as a club, we never like to settle for the ordinary do we?
Santiago Vergini, Patrick van Aanholt and Liam Bridcutt all scored OGs at Southampton in 2014, and of course, Michael Proctor got
double in the wrong net at home to Charlton in 2003, with Stephen Wright adding another to register three own goals for the opposition.
Unfortunately, we’ve never found the opposition as generous as we’ve tended to be at times – and (as far as we can make out – let us know if you know differently!) the only time we’ve benefited from our opponents netting for us twice in a game came on this day in 1928.
Johnny Cochrane’s Sunderland had finished 15th the season before, and the new season had started in disappointing fashion – going down 3-1 to Burnley in front of 21,448 at Turf Moor, with future Sunderland forward Joe Devine on the scoresheet for the home team.
Johnny Lynas and Tommy McInally had made their debuts that day, and as the team ran out for our first home game of the season – at home to Blackburn – another two new faces, Robert Wallace and Adam McLean, were making their Sunderland debuts.
Blackburn had finished three places and two points ahead of Sunderland the previous season, and despite the home team having some early chances through Halliday and the new arrival from Cowdenbeath, Wallace, Rovers took the lead in the game – albeit in controversial fashion.
Arthur Rigby’s 19th minute goal looked clearly offside when he drove the ball fiercely past Albert McInroy, whose touch could only send the ball rocketing in to the roof of the net. The call from the officials was that Syd Puddefoot’s ball in had come off Sunderland’s Adam Allan, therefore playing Rigby onside.
Dave Halliday, who was having an off night in front of goal, missed a sitter shortly afterwards from a McLean cross, however debutant McLean was able to equalise just four minutes after the opening goal, scoring cleverly after Rovers keeper Jock Crawford had pulled of a couple of excellent saves in a goalmouth scramble.
Just before half time, Blackburn scored the first of their two own goals for the lads – Herbert Jones, attempting to get to a McLean cross ahead of Halliday only succeeding in heading the ball past Crawford.
The second half was a pretty dour affair, with Sunderland generally in the assendency. Halliday’s poor game continued, spuring a number of chances, while Lynas and McLean both went close.
In the end, with five minutes remaining, John Whyte put through his own net, despertely trying to intervene as Halliday and Wallace had the goal at their mercy.
The 3-1 scoreline did not flatter the lads, who’d been the better team all game on a rainy Wearside evening, and in front of a crowd of almost 29,000, the new players in particular made a good impression.
Burnley, who’d defeated the lads four days earlier, also played this evening 97 years ago – travelling north to take on Newcastle at St James Park; Burnley running out 7-2 winners. Despite their positive start, however, Burnley finished the season in 19th position, seven points off relegation.
As an aside, later that evening, around 10pm, the fire brigade were called to Roker Park, after smoke was seen coming out of the Clockstand. When the fire engines arrived, a quantity of loose wood was found well ablaze, and it took about 20 minutes to put the fire out. An area of around 20 square foot was damaged, and the woodwork of the stand badly charred. The estimated cost of damage was around £30 – approx £2500 in today’s money.
At this time, the ground was ‘original’ – the new Main Stand, designed by Archibald Leitch, would open in September 1929, while a new Clockstand, also designed by Leitch, would open in 1936.
Also in the press that day was a run down of the various charities the club had donated ‘practice match gate receipts to’.
The receipts from the Sunderland practice games amounted to £403 10s 4d, and the directors of the Club have disbursed this amount to the following charities:—
Royal Infirmary … £50
Monkwearmouth Hospital … £50
Grindon Convalescent Home … £50
Deaf and Dumb Institute … £30
Eye Infirmary … £25
Children’s Hospital … £25
Guild of Help … £20
Orphan Asylum … £15
Institute for the Blind … £15
“Daily Echo” Radium Fund … £15
Seamen’s Institute … £10
Walfs’ Rescue Agency … £10
Police Orphanage … £10
St. John Ambulance Association … £10
Limbless ex-Servicemen … £10
Little Sisters of the Poor … £8 10s 4d
St. Dunstan’s Institute … £5
N.U. Journalists’ Widows’ and Orphans’ Fund … £5
Durham F.A. Benevolent Fund … £5
St. Agatha’s Shelter … £5
Referees’ Association … £5
Secretaries’ and Managers’ Association … £5
N.S.P.C.C. … £5
Sunderland Dist. Nursing Association £5
