Sunderland went into this game unchanged from the midweek defeat at the Dell, with winger Alan Gauden recovering from a foot injury.
Blackpool international full-back Jimmy Armfield failed a fitness test before kick-off and his experience would ultimately be a big miss. A young Emlyn Hughes would take his place in the defence.
Ian McColl would continue with George Herd at right-half, Jim McNab at left-half and Jim Baxter at inside-left. Harry Hood would play inside-right in what looked like a very
attacking line-up. The on-going question for fans and management alike was Slim Jim’s willingness to play further forward given his oft-stated preference for the left-half berth.
Kicking toward the Roker End, Sunderland were quickly on the attack as Jim Baxter sent an exquisite pass through the midfield to the on-rushing Herd, raiding forward. The little Scot controlled the pass and in one easy movement attempted to release Neil Martin in on goal. The pass was just tipped away by half-back Fisher at full stretch.
On six minutes Baxter again had Sunderland coming forward with real menace. He found Neil Martin on the edge of the box with another well directed pass, the big forward took the ball with his back to goal and two defenders crowding his space. With a characteristic swivel he turned and smashed a right foot shot past Waiters in the Blackpool goal, whose despairing dive was nothing more than an afterthought as the ball billowed the net.
It was a blistering start by the Lads’ that had the 25,000 crowd buzzing with anticipation.
Sunderland were quickly back on the attack with Slim Jim looking in grand fettle for this game.
Baxter took control of an awkwardly bouncing ball and in one easy movement slid a pass through the eye of a needle that put Harry Hood into a pocket of space. The Scottish flyer took the ball and blasted a shot goal-bound that was deflected just past the post for a corner.
Bullet’ Mullhall swung a beautiful cross straight onto the head of Neil Martin who placed a strong header just past the post.
Mullhall then robbed a defender and fired a wicked cross into the danger area, that caused consternation in the Tangerine defence without a Sunderland forward anywhere near the ball.
Gauden then read a spinning ball better than his marker and flashed an angled half-volley that Waiters did well to turn around the post for a corner.
What a start it had been to the game. From my position in the Boys Enclosure in the Roker End, it was always exciting when we were attacking “our end” of the ground and there was lots of early action, it sent the ‘enclosure’ into fever pitch right from the off.
Jim McNab then broke up a rare Seasider attack and fed the ball to Slim Jim. The mercurial Scot slalomed forward and held on to the ball well before sliding another precision pass with consummate ease into the path of Hood in on goal, but just off-side.
Blackpool then had a sortie forward with a move down the right wing that resulted in a snap-shot in a crowded box. The ball appeared to be heading into the net but Monty sprang cat-like to hold the shot.
On seventeen minutes Sunderland scored an absolute peach of a goal. Hurley found Baxter, who in turn threaded a pass to Neil Martin, forty yards out with his back to goal. He spun and lost a defender, advancing a couple of yards before releasing a pile-driver that looked like its trajectory had been set by radar as it flew into the net with a velocity that appeared beyond man-made! This was one of the best goals that I had seen scored at Roker Park in my short Sunderland supporting career up to this point and I joined in the total mayhem in the rampant Boys Enclosure with unbridled glee!
Martin almost had a first-half hatty’ when he hit another drive on the turn twenty-five yards out, teed up by George Mullhall. Waiters produced a fantastic save to tip the ball around the post for a corner.
The same combination saw Bullet’s corner headed just over the bar by the marauding Martin.
Sunderland were rampant at this point, with Slim Jim in his pomp it only seemed a matter of time before the third goal would come.
An incredible period of pressure ensued which had us kids in the enclosure thinking this game was being played out fifteen yards in front of us purely for our enjoyment.
It started with a smashing Hood cross/ shot which Waiters tipped over for a corner. Baxter then nonchelently trotted over to the right corner flag to take the kick, playing the crowd brilliantly as he did so. His in-swinging corner was right on the money as King Charlie Hurley rose head and shoulders above everyone else and powered the ball goalward requiring a frantic block from a defender resulting in another corner. With the roar of “Charlie Charlie” ringing around Roker Park two further corners and a full stretch grab by the beleaguered Blackpool keeper from the head of Martin brought some semblance of control to the drama.
There was still time for Hurley to slide a pinpoint pass to Gauden who took the ball at pace and swept a great pass to Harry Hood who timed his run perfectly. Holding off a defender and advancing on goal Hood struck a hard drive that rebounded off Waiters to safety.
What a half of football we had witnessed, the team were given a rapturous acknowledgement as they jogged off to the dressing room.
When the teams re-emerged there was no George Mullhall who had picked up an injury. John Parke came on and took his place at right-half, with George Herd moving to right-wing and Alan Gauden moving to the left-wing.
The forced changes did little to change the flow of the game as Sunderland were quickly on the attack.
Hood had the ball in the back of the net but this was disallowed for a foul. Then a Scottish 1 – 2 – 3 as Martin, Hood and Baxter combined to tee up a net-buster of a shot from Martin, which struck an unwary defender and rebounded almost twenty yards to Alan Gauden. He took the ball on the half volley and saw his shot fly just past the post.
Right after this Slim Jim was once again the conductor-in-chief as he found Neil Martin in the box once again. With his back to goal the big forward turned on a sixpence and let rip just as goalkeeper Waiters arrived bravely at his feet. The ball scraped the post but both Keeper and Martin required the magic sponge before being able to continue.
Parke and Herd then combined in a neat passing move that saw Martin flash a dipping drive from the right-hand-side that just cleared the bar.
On the hour, Herd was involved again as he timed a precise pass into the path of Harry Hood, who struck an accurate shot from just inside the box that nestled in the back of the net for his first goal of the season and Sunderland’s third of this game.
Blackpool then managed a rare sortie forward that led to a snapshot in a crowded box, which was goalbound but Monty once again managed to grab on the line.
A period of sustained Sunderland pressure then followed with Blackpool’s overworked defence and goalkeeper Waiters earning their pay as Baxter, Herd, Hood and Martin really began to dominate.
Blackpool broke away and for the first time in the game caught Jimmy Montgomery out of position and well beaten by a lob that unfortunately for the Seasiders hit the bar and bounced to safety.
Neil Martin though was not going to be denied his hattrick and his deserved third goal came in the eightieth minute. The move started when Alan Gauden won the ball back and slid it to Slim Jim who produced what Argus writing in the Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail described as “a magical touch” to send Martin through on goal to hammer the ball past Waiters for his first hattrick for Sunderland and the first by a Sunderland player since they had returned to the first division in 1964.
The win lifted Sunderland to fifteenth in the table and the performance lit up the Roker crowd with hope that our big-name players Baxter and Martin were going to ignite our season.
Sadly this did not happen and it would be eight games before we would win again.
We would finish the season in a disappointing seventeenth position with Blackpool finishing bottom and relegated.
Disappointing though the season was, you could not fault the efforts of the stylish Neil Martin who scored an impressive twenty-six goals in all competitions. Martin is one of two forwards to score over a hundred goals in the top-flight of England and Scotland, (Joe Baker is the other). His forty-six goals in ninety-nine appearances for us certainly puts him up there as one of our most potent post-war forwards.
This game would also be one of Jim Baxter’s best performances for Sunderland at Roker Park, and lives in my memory as a ‘what might have been’, if he could have delivered this level of performance on a regular basis.
Division One
Date – 03/09/1966
Venue – Roker Park
Attendance – 25,941
Goal scorers – Martin 6, 17 & 80 minutes; Hood 59 minutes.
Sunderland 4 – 0 Blackpool
Sunderland – Jimmy Montgomery; Lenny Ashurst; Cec Irwin; Jim McNab, Charlie Hurley; George Herd; Alan Gauden; Harry Hood; Neil Martin; Jim Baxter; George Mullhall (John Parke 46 mins).
Blackpool – Tony Waiters; Tommy Thompson; Emlyn Hughes; Hugh Fisher; Glyn James; Graham Rowe; Ronnie Brown; Bobby Waddell; Ray Charnley; Jimmy Robson; Les Lea.
Sub – Neil Turner
