Rare Old Sunderland AFC Videos

Rare Old Sunderland AFC Videos

Ryehill Football has been raiding the archives and has come across some old and rare footage of the team in action from long ago.

 

Sunderland 4 v 1 Leicester Fosse, 1907

A crowd of 21.000 who paid £612 in receipts saw this game at Roker Park on a day that was brilliantly fine but a bit breezy. Sunderland excelled themselves in the 1st half and displayed better shooting than they have done all season. In the 2nd half they fell away considerably and Leicester improved but their efforts to score were frustrated by the work of Ward, Watson and Rhodes. Sunderland played against the wind in the 1st half. There was a fast opening with each goal visited in turn but no goals came in the first 10 minutes

Sunderland were attacking more often than Leicester and after neat work between Gemmell and Bridgett it was Bridgett who scored with a strong shot that gave Lewis no chance to save. This early success stimulated the home side and they were not long in getting to close to goal but McIntosh sent his shot too high. Clever play took the ball to the other end where Middleton tried a shot but it too went over the bar. Raine then shot rather tamely and the ball went straight into Lewis’s hands and he cleared easily.

Sunderland were now well on top and after 30 minutes McIntosh scored their 2nd goal when he took a pass from Bridgett and shot well out of Lewis’s reach.  The cheers had scarcely died away when Sunderland got close to the Leicester goal again thanks to some quick and accurate passing. Gemmell rattled in a shot that the custodian pushed away but only as far as Raine who sent the ball back into the net. For the first 20 minutes of the 2nd half play was rather tame in striking contrast to the fast work of the 1st half.

Occasional breakaways were made by both sides and unsuccessful shots were sent in by Shanks, Middleton and Durrant for Leicester and McIntosh, Raine and Rhodes for Sunderland. Bannister finally got through for Leicester and scored very neatly.  Leicester took heart from this and Ward was called upon to save several shots. A few minutes from the close Sunderland raided again and McIntosh scored his 2nd goal of the game from Taits pass.

COMMENT

Sunderland’s changed team favourably impressed and McIntosh proved a most capable centre forward. Holley also did yeoman service despite looking much heavier since his last appearance in the 1st team. Bridgett, Raine and Gemmell displayed stylish qualities and there was not a blemish in defence. For the visitors Blackett, Bannister Wilcox and Durrant were perhaps the most prominent. Leicester’s shooting was fairly frequent but there was no sting behind their shots. The halfbacks were no match for the determined and heavier Sunderland forwards.

Since the match there has been a great deal of gossip about the alleged fracas at the end of the game. The latest and to some extent official version of events is that Durrant lost some teeth after colliding with the goalpost.

Newcastle United 0 v 3 Sunderland, 1913

 

 

Report By Colin Veitch (Newcastle right half)

The battle has been settled and let me say right away that Sunderland thoroughly deserved their victory on their display in this encounter. At the same time it is impossible to overstate what winning the toss meant to the outcome of the game. The advantage of wind was one thing but that in itself was nothing compared to the advantage enjoyed by Sunderland when snow and hail began to blow into United faces. Up until then Newcastle had just about managed to hold there own in the exchanges.

Afterwards it was almost impossible to see what was going on so thick was the snow that blew into our faces. During the storm Sunderland scored twice and gained a lead which they never lost. The 1st goal arose out of a mix up in the home defence. Richardson sent a pass forward to Holley but it was too long and Lawrence came out to gather the ball. Hudspeth nipped in however and kicked the ball against the inrushing Holley and it rebounded over Lawrences head and into the net.

With the elements in their favour Sunderland continued to exert considerable pressure and forced a number of fruitless corners. Then McCracken injured his knee and it hampered him for the rest of the game. Following a free kick for handball against McCracken Low got the ball and was making his way through when I tackled him and he fell. Both of us were astonished when the referee gave a penalty kick and from the spot Mordue sent a rising shot just underneath the bar.

Prior to this Holley had the ball in the net but handled in the process and the goal was disallowed. Sunderland led 2-0 at halftime. On resuming the snow had ceased and did not return. Naturally with the wind advantage we spent most of the game in Sunderland territory but with no storm the Roker players managed to keep us at bay. They also put in many dangerous raids and besides scoring in the last 15 minutes came very near to bringing the downfall of our goal on other occasions.

Our plan was to throw as many men into attack as possible and hope that any Sunderland breakaways came to nought. The Sunderland goal looked like falling on 3 occasions but after a melee in the goalmouth Butler saved the situation. The Sunderland defenders seemed to have plenty in hand on many occasions and they never wavered while their forwards were always ready to lend a hand in defence. They often brought welcome relief by transferring play to the other end with beautiful footwork.

Had we scored a goal from one of the narrow escapes that the Sunderland goal experienced during the first 20 minutes of the 2nd half it might have changed the whole course of the game. But the visitors citadel bore a charmed life and gradually the defenders settled down and met the Newcastle attackers with confidence. Mordues goal settled matters and it was a beauty. He dribbled inwards and beat 3 men before slipping the ball past Lawrence as the keeper rushed out.

Sunderland were the better side and deserved their success though how much the elements assisted their victory only the fates can tell. Still I don’t intend to minimise their achievement for they were sufficiently better than our players throughout the team to merit victory. Butler came through some trying moments in the 2nd half with flying colours. How he managed to get hold of some of the shots amazed our players but he was always there when danger threatened and succeeded.

Gladwin and Milton played sturdily. They were a bit unsteady in the early stages of the 2nd half but gradually recovered and were giving nothing away at the finish. The halfbacks were a fine trio. Thomson worked ceaselessly and was immensely useful especially in defence. Low and Cuggy were every bit as good as their skipper and opened up the attack on many occasions by co-operating with their wingers. Even though the defence was so good it was in the forward line that Sunderland shone compared to us.

The line worked in a much more harmonious style than in either of the previous games. The greatest improvement was on the right where Buchan and Mordue made some dazzling runs. For a man supposed to have only one leg Mordue made one wonder what he would be capable of with two! An unfit individual could certainly not play as Mordue did while Buchan gave a fine display. Holley and Martin were just as good a pair. They faced a McCracken handicapped by injury but they made the most of their opportunities and one can ask no more than that.

Richardson lay well forward and opened out the play for his teammates judiciously. For Newcastle Lawrence had his most dangerous efforts to deal with in the 2nd half when Sunderland’s spasmodic raids gave him a few awkward moments. In the 1st half although Sunderland pressed hard he was seldom in difficulties with the shots sent in. Despite his injury McCracken played well as did Low. Hay and Hudspeth on the left did equally as well without quite touching the standard set in the previous encounter.

The forwards did not get much of a chance to shine. They opened well enough but it was impossible to make headway against the snow in the 1st half and the Sunderland defence managed to hold them in check in the 2nd half when pressure was applied.

 

1937 FA Cup Final; Sunderland 3 v 1 Preston North End

1937 FA Cup Final Match Report

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