Sunderland’s Twelve Days of Christmas: (7) Manchester City

Happy new year Pete
Happy new year Pete

Pete Sixsmith continues with the task he set himself of finding a match to reflect upon for each of 12 days of the festive season. Today he recalls the start of the illustrious Sunderland career of the 1973 FA Cup-winning team captain Bobby Kerr…

See the Twelve Days of Christmas series in full at https://safc.blog/category/sixers-sentiments/sunderlands-twelve-days-of-christmas/

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Sunderland v Aston Villa: Guess the Score and help a good cause

Here's one we made earlier
Here’s one we made earlier

When the glittering occasional prize of a Salut! Sunderland mug was reinstituted for the Everton game, it was a safe bet that Eric Bowers would win. After all, he’s already got three, though in fairness one was bought – making him as rare as, say, a priest who finds the painting he bought for £400 is a van Dyck worth £700,000.

The only snag was that he predicted a Sunderland win by a single goal at Goodison. We all knew that could never happen.

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SAFC vs Aston Villa Who are You?: ‘looks too tough, Gus’

Jake demands answers
Jake demands answers

Since beating Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates on the opening day of the season, Aston Villa have been at best patchy. They arrive at the Stadium of Light for the New Year’s Day fixture six points ahead of Sunderland, fourth top of the group of 11 clubs separated by just nine points. Our Villa interviewee is Tom Joliffe*, an aspiring Hollywood screenwriter found at the Heroes and Villains fan site. His script for Sunderland’s relegation scrp has no happy ending though the questions were answered before the Everton and Cardiff games …

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Sunderland’s Twelve Days of Christmas: (5) Fulham

No Bah Humbugs here
No Bah Humbugs here

John McCormick writes: In his fifth reminiscence of Sunderland games played over the festive season, Pete Sixsmith

goes back to another promotion season. This is probably one of the many where I didn’t get to a game, unless I went to Stoke, but I do remember the signing of Marangoni and the anticipation that came with him


SAFC 1 Fulham 0 Dec 29 1979

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Poyetry in Motion from Cardiff: never say die attitude brings reward

Jake captures the Bard, with thanks to Owen Lennox
Jake captures the Bard, with thanks to Owen Lennox

There was turmoil off the pitch at Cardiff where the owner began with a smile on his face, no doubt convinced that he could convince the home support that he knows best. No sign of turmoil on the pitch, where the red Bluebirds started brightly and had Gus Poyet’s men on the backfoot. Unlike at Goodison the centre back pairing of Roberge and Diakite were looking decidedly shaky and some slack marking gave the Welsh side a two goal lead. An enforced substitution at half time (the latest is Borini is out of hospital but staying in Cardiff overnight) and two others later in the game proved decisive. With the Black Cats gaining the upper hand in the latter stages it was two of the subs who got the goals that took a point back to Wearside and left Mr Tan apparently booing his own team. Our Uruguayan coach is effusive in his praise of the team’s battling qualities in his post-match e-mail …

Jake says "flipping heck" or words to that effect
Jake says “flipping heck” or words to that effect

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Sixer’s Sevens: Cardiff City 2 SAFC 2 – Colback at the death

Jake says Pete is the star man
Jake says Pete is the star man

This was a crucial game. Other results for once had gone our way and a win would get us off the bottom of the table. But with O’Shea out and Brown suspended it was up to the reshuffled back four to hold firm but they didn’t. They looked shaky for much of the first half and although our performance improved it looked like old boy Fraizer Campbell had put the game out of reach with Cardiff’s second. With Borini off to hospital having collapsed at half time things weren’t looking great but Fletcher and Colback proved there is a Santa Claus after all. Here is where you can find Pete Sixsmith’s immediate post-match, seven-word verdict from deepest darkest Wales.

Jake says "flipping heck" or words to that effect
Jake says “flipping heck” or words to that effect

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