Year: 2018

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Ground: Blackpool and Bloomfield Road

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The man himself

John McCormick writes: I thought it was when I was old enough to go into pubs but not old enough to do so legally that I first went to went to Bloomfield Road, which would put the date around 1968. I’m pretty sure, however, that it wasn’t Sunderland I saw playing there but Bolton Wanderers, who had Charlie Hurley turning out for them and he didn’t join Bolton until the start of the 69-70 season.

Pete Sixsmith has no such doubts. He was there before me and he remembers it, or at least the bits thatmatter, well.

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Blackpool vs Sunderland Guess the Score: seaside frolics?

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Jake: ‘forget the hangovers – roar the Lads to victory’ at the seaside’

New Year’s day is part of a great English football tradition. Games are played on January 1 just as they take place on Boxing Day, so much better than the wimpish French trêve (it also means truce but here denotes a widwinter sporting break).

And Sunderland, accompanied by 7-8,000 supporters, are at Blackpool. A special Who are You?, to be published on Sunday afternoon, will combine answers from the Lancashire club’s mascot, the Bloomfield Bear, and another look at the smashing interview gven to us a few years ago by the Blackpool and BBC legend Jimmy Armfield, who died in January 2018.

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Blackpool vs Sunderland Who are You?: Bloomfield Bear helps us remember Jimmy Armfield

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Click on the Bloomfield Bear to see the archive of Who are You?s so far in a vintage season for the series

Monsieur Salut writes: which of the Newcombes, father Gary or son Kieran, a) appears in the photo and b) answered our questions? Not sure about the photo but we can take it Gary answered the questions since the responses suggest a longer stint as a Blackpool fan than that of his lad. Kieran’s lips are sealed beyond saying ‘they’re the bear’s answers’ so here, before the exceptional treat of another look at replies the late Jimmy Armfield once gave us, is the Bloomfield Bear, complete with a succinct reference to the afternoon at Wembley that brought a fairytale season back in the top flight after 40 years, if one with no happy ending.

And then he can work out how to entertain home fans PLUS 8,000 Sunderland supporters on New Year’s day …

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North Eastern Programme Club: the year SAFC picked the right people

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John McCormick at work

SAFC fans who buy the matchday programme will know that Salut! Sunderland writers regularly contribute. For the Shrewsbury edition, our associate editor John McCormick looked back over a tumultuous year for the club and its supporters. Here is his article (NB: there may have been a couple of edits before publication) …

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Sixer’s Sevens. A 1-1 damp squib against Shrewsbury

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Look what Santa brought Sixer

Pete Sixsmith was not a happy soul in a poor first half seen by another big SoL crowd, not quite 46,039 but 33,288 is an impressive count.

When Shrewsbury took the lead, he sent a text message saying Sunderland were playing like men with hangovers. Shortly before half time, he noted that we had finally “stirred ourselves” as Maja scored a fine equaliser. But before the goal, Gary Bennett thought we’d been as bad in that first half as at any time this season. It seems to have been a little better in the second half but no one was able to snatch a winner and Shrewsbury very nearly managed it themselves in stoppage time.

As usual, this is Pete’s instant, seven-word verdict. Expect to see his fuller reporting due course …

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The First Time Ever I Saw Your Team: Shrewsbury Town

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Click the banner to go to the prize Guess the Score competition. Shrewsbury fans welcome.

With Christmas and hopefully Salut! Sunderland’s website issues behind us, we look forward to New Year and a trip to the seaside, where more than 7,000 Mackems, many of whom will be nursing massive hangovers, will converge on Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road.

But before that we have a little matter of a home game against Shrewsbury Town, currently languishing just above the relegation zone. It is a game we will be expecting to win but as we have found out already this season, there are no easy games in this division and our boys will need to be on top form to avoid an upset. Pete Sixsmith first saw them at a time when punk rock was about to be usurped by New Wave but it was Pink Floyd keeping Abba off the top of the charts.

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Shrewsbury Who are You? Which SAFC man is so passionate he’s ‘absolutely mental’?

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Click on Ollie Warner’s photo to see the full list of Who are You? interviews so far this season

Read on for the answer to the question posed in the headline. Ollie Warner, co-presenter of the Shrewsbury Town podcast Salopcast, came up trumps with great replies to our questions ahead of Saturday’s game. He’ll be there, looking forward to seeing a new ground, and feels Sunderland will have to buy in January or settle for the playoffs …

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Sunderland vs Shrewsbury Guess the Score: make it two in a row

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At a busy period for Sunderland and therefore Salut! Sunderland, postings may appear out of natural sequence.

Pete Sixsmith’s full report on the 1-0 win over Bradford City, including his thoughts on the disallowed City “equaliser”, will be published later.

For now, premature as it may seem, let us get on with other business by inviting entries for the latest Guess the Score competition: Shrewsbury at home on Saturday.

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