Sunderland were solid if not spectacular during the first Football League season since the end of World War II, and their final game before Christmas saw them maintain their mid-table position with a credible away win at Bolton Wanderers.
The Burnden Park pitch required large quantities of sand to be spread to make it playable, but with the morning’s fog gone, the conditions weren’t too bad for the time of year. That said, neither team was able to get into a proper rhythm following kick off and with several
players struggling to get going, it looked for a while as if the game was going to be a bit of a stinker.
Slack passing and poor control dogged the opening skirmishes but with Bolton’s Nat Lofthouse finding his form up front, the standard of play soon improved.
He sparked some tension when he won a corner after beating two men, and after charging down Jackie Roberts’ attempt once the ball was played into the box, Sunderland realised they would need to buck their ideas up if they were going to compete, with Len Duns being the one to help them up the park with his pace.
A chance was soon created for Cliff Whitelum and whilst his effort just flashed over the angle of the goal, the two teams were getting some momentum — the Lads continuing their charge with Whitelum going close once again when he connected with an Arthur Housam free kick.
Lofthouse and Fred Hall then exchanged chances at either end, and by the time thirty minutes had been played, the contest had morphed into something a whole lot more enjoyable.
Although Teddy Rothwell drove an attempt across the goal for the hosts, Sunderland started shading things as the half wore on and by the time Stan Hanson made an excellent save to deny Stan Lloyd, Wanderers were hanging on.
It now felt as if half time couldn’t come soon enough for them, and so it proved as with five minutes to go before the break, Whitelum turned the pressure into something more tangible, with Bill Murray’s side taking the lead when the centre forward glanced a free kick into the net.
Hanson may have cleared the cross had he not been inadvertently blocked by a teammate and Bolton were further frustrated when just moments into the second half, Roberts struck the bar.
Johnny Mapson was struggling to get to the ball as it went through the air and he appeared to be well beaten until it bounced off the woodwork, but he remained unflappable thereafter and as the Trotters launched several attacks, he was up to the task of keeping them out. Back on his native Merseyside, his handling and control of his area were impressive, and in helping see his side over the line, he justified his first clean sheet in eight.
However, what came afterwards was a poor run, with the team suffering defeats to Wolverhampton Wanderers on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day, before losing heavily to Derby County and Arsenal.
There was also a shock cup exit at Chesterfield to contend with before things got back on track midway through January with a big win at Blackpool, and when the return game with Bolton came round towards the end of the season, another victory prompted an unbeaten run that confirmed a respectable enough ninth-place finish now that the league was back up and running.
Saturday 21 December 1946
Football League Division One
Burnden Park
Attendance: 19,757
Bolton Wanderers 0
Sunderland 1 (Whitelum)
Sunderland: Mapson, Stelling, Jones; Housam, Hall, Wright; Duns, Robinson, Whitelum, Lloyd; Reynolds
