John McCormick writes: I thought beforehand that we could get at least a point from this game. But as the match went on, and the ref gave us nothing, I thought we were playing into Stoke’s hands and would lose.
Then the ref gave us something, and up stepped Jermain Defoe.
Over to Pete Sixsmith for the seven words, no more, no less, that finish the story:
Who fancies France this summer? By that, I don’t mean who reckons the host country will win the tournament, which is possible if unlikely, but whether you’d like to be there yourself, which this competition also makes possible.
If a Salut! Sunderland reader were to win this competition, and embark (with friend or relative) on a 12-day trip across the Channel to see some of the action, Monsieur Salut would be delighted to meet up and buy them a drink should paths meet.
We have already heard from Pete Sixsmith how the official approach to football supporters that was reflected when 96 people died at Hillsborough also threatened people attending at a Sunderland game, and how it nearly ended his own teaching career. Now, also discussing the historical context in which the tragedy was handled, Michael Goulding, lifelong Sunderland fan and occasional contributor to these pages, looks back on a day that affected all of us in different ways but especially those who, like him, were there …
It seems appropriate to make this the briefest of introductions and let Pete Sixsmith speak for himself and for a generation of football supporters treated shamefully by authority …
Angela Smith*, broadcaster, Supporters’ Council leader and former squash pro, is as Stoke as they come, a fan – she says – from birth, so precocious, too. She was quite enjoying the season until recent bad results, and expects Sunderland to snatch a draw on Saturday. Ideally, we need better than that but we’ll see. Welcome back to Salut! Sunderland, Angela. after an absence of two or three years and good luck after Saturday …
We had a reference to Shakespearian tragedies last week and now Pete Sixsmith quotes the Bard in an appreciation of Jermain Defoe, who has been named Sunderland’s player of the year as voted by supporters. Come what may, the striker has done his job in style. Even the Londoncentric pundits are forever reminding us of the extraordinary achievement of scoring so freely for a team that’s been in trouble all season. All at Salut! Sunderland salute his efforts for the club and welcome the award …
It should not get much more nailbiting than this – but it may well do so between now and Watford away on the last day of the season.
The weekend threatens to be tricky. Who would put it past an Alan Pardew side to roll over at St James’ Park, assuming he dislikes us more than Mike Ashley? Or for Arsenal to be well below par at home to Norwich?
Pete Sixsmith presents his customary expert analysis and reflects on what might have been if only we’d been playing like this at the start of the season. Three points would have been a lot more reassuring, but this was a fine, fighting draw and keeps survival within our own hands…
John McCormick writes: I thought Arsenal were good today. True to form they kept trying to pass it into the net and true to form (our recent form, anyway) we kept them out. Had they tried shots from long range they might have had some luck but, I suspect, our now-coherent defense would have managed.
Overall, I was happy with our performance and satisfied with the point. I suspect our manager is, too, although he does have something to say about going for the win in the post-match letter he thoughtfully sends to Colin, and maybe one or two others, the minute the game ends:
Colin Randall writes: this was a gritty display that brought the point needed to take SAFC out of the bottom three. No one played badly. Several – I’m thinking of Yedlin, K and K in central defence, Catts and Khazri – did especially well. It leaves lots of work to do but we are still in control of our own destiny and three words of the headline are stolen from Pete Sixsmith’s instant verdict (one he then changed for what you now see below) …
