The flat end of season many of us feared, while outwardly hoping for something special, seemed assured when Wayne Rooney put Manchester United ahead and the only first-half chance for Sunderland was squandered. Would the second half bring that special ingredient, especially with United players knowing Man City were ahead?
Well it got better for us – we pushed forward a little and not only avoided a demoralisingly heavy defeat but might even have snatched an equaliser. And it got initially an awful lot better for United as City contrived to forfeit their lead against 10 men, but then excruciatingly worse as City came back to snatch the title out of their hands. Not the final flourish we craved, nor the humiliation too many of us thought possible after a dismal run. And heartbreak for the winners.
Here Pete Sixsmith captures the glory and shame, hope and despair, excitement and ennui of the Sunderland matchday experience. When, rarely, Pete is absent or delayed, a supersub does it for him and the seven-word verdict is preceded by an asterisk. Pete’s full analysis of the game will usually appear within a day or two.
The full Sixer’s Sevens archive – see link below – sums up what all Sunderland supporters feel, from darkest gloom to sublime elation, in the words of one who is usually there …
May 13 2012 SAFC (0) 0 Manchester United (1) 1 Better second half of a fascinating afternoon
May 6 2012 Fulham (2) 2 SAFC (1) 1 Lacked quality when and where it mattered
April 28 2012 SAFC (1) 2 Bolton Wanderers (1) 2 Fair result: both sides could have won
April 21 2012 Aston Villa (0) 0 SAFC (0) 0 Chances spurned but a much better performance
April 14 2012 SAFC (0) 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers (0) 0 Minimum excitement, maximum frustration: a dreary afternoon
April 9 2012 Everton (0) 4 SAFC (0) 0 There’s poor, really poor and there’s this
April 7 2012 SAFC (0) 0 Tottenham Hotspur (0) 0 More than matched a Champions League side
March 31 2012 Manchester City (1) 3 SAFC (2) 3 How frustrating when we deserved three points
March 27 2012 FA CUP 6th round replay: SAFC (0) 0 Everton (1) 2 Everton simply better. Hope they win it.
March 24 2012 SAFC (1) 3 Queens Park Rangers (0) 1 Played very well and won with ease
March 20 2012 Blackburn Rovers (0) 2 SAFC (0) 0 Very disappointing. We looked tired and uninterested
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To see Sixer’s Sevens in full, click here. If an asterisk precedes the comment, the words that follow are the work of someone else because Pete is for once absent from the game