SAFC vs Hull City: last(ish) words on the match and best wishes to Raich Carter Junior

This is a Ha’way the Lads Christmas greeting to the Lads, winners in dramatic fashion at St James’ Park on Sunday, and a hearty “get well soon” to one of this site’s friends, Raich Carter Junior.

As most readers of Salut! Sunderland will know, the Who are You? series first-place award was won last season by one Raich, son of the genius of the same name who was born in Sunderland, brilliantly represented his town football club (city status was a long way off in those days) and went on to play for and manage Hull City.

Raich entered into the great spirit of WAY and his answers fully deserved the award. But he’s a good lad and said he had quite enough football memorabilia, so please could his prize go instead to a good cause in the Hendon district of Sunderland where his dad was born.

Through a ward coucillor, Michael Mordey, we located Richy Duggan, who runs the Wearside HYPP (Hendon Young People’s Project) football club”, which was precisely the kind of group Raich had in mind. Richy was delighted and with 200 dollars to spend with the sponsors, soccerpro.com, went for five replica Worlds Cup footballs. These arrived in France soon afterwards, were taken in (once Monsieur Salut had parted with 60 euros in pay-on-delivery postage) and then driven in October from the Var to Wearside via London, finally being deposited at the Raich Carter Sports Centre a few weeks later after the Arsenal match (Richy was ill and could not meet up as planned).

Since then, Richy has been effusive with his thanks and says the team are making great use of the balls.

The news of Raich was less pleasing.

Gary Clark, another Hull fan, told the sorry tale in this week’s WAY.

Q: We were shocked and saddened to hear of the accident involving Raich Carter Junior, whose superb “Who are You?” won last year’s award. I believe he’ll be with you at the match – is he on the mend?

A: Raich junior is on the mend thankfully. He was involved in a collision with a drunk driver who knocked him off his bike. He looks like losing the sight in one eye and was badly shaken up, as you would be. The accident put an end to his driving for a bit and the last time I spoke to him he was still waiting for the nod to get behind the wheel again, which meant I had to forgo several boozy away days and drive the mini bus in his absence. Hopefully he will be with us on Boxing Day. So, yeah, Raich is on the mend.

Monsieur Salut echoes the kind words readers left at the original piece. Here’s hoping Raich makes the strongest possible recovery and, after a good but losing day out on Boxing Day, enjoys a great new year.

Speaking of Boxing Day, Pete Sixsmith and Colin Randall, but mainly Sixer, put their heads together for the preview at ESPN. It can be seen in full at
http://www.espnfc.com/club/sunderland/366/blog/post/2214515/premier-league-sunderland-want-to-keep-positive-momentum-going-against-hull.

The preview kicked off with a reminder of Gus Poyet’s pst-Chelsea comment that we really need to chalk up a couple of wins in December. Even allowing for SAFC being SAFC, this should now be an achievable target.

This is an extract:

The four games so far in the pre-Christmas fixtures list have produced one win and two draws, a run marred only by the 4-1 lesson from a rampant Manchester City. The yield of five points — four more than the team had mustered before Poyet was appointed in October 2013 to reverse the Paolo di Canio slump — is a measure of the Uruguayan coach’s progress.

That the one win came in the 90th minute of a derby at St James’ is all the sweeter, adding icing to the Christmas cake for supporters.

But every one of those fans knows that beyond the immediate bragging rights of a win at Newcastle, the critical need is to build on the result and ensure Hull are sent back home contemplating a miserable end to a year that will long live in their memories.

So, once asgain, Ha’way the Lads. And Haw’way young Raich.