Sixer’s Stoke Soapbox: a point from the Potters but is it enough?

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Jake guesses Sixer's mood

Pete Sixsmith, who shared some wretched news with me today about a good mutual friend, in his case a very close one, offers a clinical analysis of the match but ends with precisely the right sense of perspective. Our deepest sympathies go to Pete Horan, Emma and Clare on the loss of Pete H’s much-loved wife and the girls’ treasured mother, Sue, always to be remembered as a picture of vitality and warmth; my abiding memory is from outside the Dun Cow in Durham after a promotion or championship clincher, all four of them decked out in red and white and making the family car rock to Cheer Up Peter Reid …

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Sunderland and Wembley 1973: not just about us. Leeds fans remember

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1973 May 5The Leeds fan, “yorxman”, who posted his silly Yah Boo comment to one of our FA Cup Final 40th anniversary pieces, did at least have a point in implying we were sad to have to go back so long for anything to celebrate.

Members of the London and SE branch of the Sunderland AFC Supporters’ Association voted a few years ago to change the name of the newsletter from 5573 for that very reason. Ian Todd has pointed out elsewhere that it was not just younger members who disapproved of such a distant reference point as May 5 1973 (I voted to keep the name but cannot quarrel too much with the opposing view – and the replacement, Wear Down South, is a great alternative).

But our yorxsman’s sneers are not wholly representative of Leeds United supporters. That day was theirs too, or at any rate it was meant to be theirs, so it seemed a good idea to invite them to share their own memories. This is what a quick posting at the Leeds Fans Online site produced – and I am grateful to all those who contributed:

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Paolo’s Pow-Wow: after Stoke, Southampton’s our Champions League final

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Not great but a result Jake would have taken at half time
An outcome Jake and probably PDC would have taken at half time

After the grim display at Villa Park, Sunderland started against Stoke City as if someone had persuaded them life in the Championship isn’t so bad, after all, so why not give it a shot? Paolo Di Canio’s post-match e-mail rightly makes no attempt to excuse Craig Gardner, rightly praises the qualities of pride and commitment shown by the 10 men and – having previously, post-Chelsea, described the remaining games as being six FA Cup finals – freely acknowledges that the one against Southampton is now our Champions League final …

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Sixer’s Sevens. SAFC 1 Stoke City 1: survival point?

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Sixer at the wall
Jake captures Sixer’s wall of strength

Each matchday, Pete Sixsmith – or a supersub in his absence – summarises the outcome and/or performance with a seven-word verdict, invariably followed by his considered Soapboax report. Tonight was yet another of those interminable must-win games for Sunderland. At half time, it looked like a no-hoper. The 10 men who remained after Craig Gardner’s astonishing lapse of discipline performed creditably for the rest of the game and fully deserved the point. No complaints from Monsieur Salut about the red though Dean Whitehead led a charmed life: three yellow offences, one card. All may still be to do but this ended up being a mighty point …

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Sixer’s Sevens: FA Cup Final 1973 (8): SAFC 1 Leeds United 0 turns world upside down

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Jake poin Sixer to the wall
Jake captures Sixer’s wall of strength

Each matchday, Pete Sixsmith – or a supersub in his absence – summarises the outcome and/or performance with a seven-word verdict, invariably followed by his considered Soapboax report. Today, May 5, though not literally, he’s been up to London to see the … Team of All The Talents, Bob Stokoe’s valiant men in red and white stripes who defied logic and hierarchical wisdom to beat all-conquering Leeds United to the FA Cup. Savour the moment as, on another May 5 four decades ago, Pete did …

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Sunderland, Leeds and Wembley 1973 (9): Sixer’s Soapbox on a day of glory

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Jake remembers ...
Jake remembers …

Pete Sixsmith***** was there. Monsieur Salut was not, having been repeatedly promised a ticket by a drunken colleague whose work gave him close contact with Wembley. The promises continued right up to May 4 but the ticket did not materialise.. A fabulous day all the same, even if you had to watch it in an upstairs company flat in Uxbridge (upstairs of said colleague who was nowhere to be found) before heading off to sink pints with the Co Durham lads who always ended SAFC awaydays at the Wealdstone ex-Service club. Pete describes the day, as I could describe that night, as if writing for this site on May 6 1973 …

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Sunderland, Leeds and Wembley 1973. Part 6: May 5, our Agincourt

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Jake remembers ...
Jake remembers …

You may have thought John McCormick stretched things somewhat when he wrote about his trip to the 1973 semi-final. He disagrees, having retained a fairly clear memory of that remarkable day 40 years on. When it comes to the final itself, John says, things are much more cloudy leaving his recall of that particular weekend full of holes …

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