Countdown to Wembley

Sunderland vs Manchester City prize Guess the Score: the tension mounts

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Campo Retro's prize
Campo Retro’s prize

We went early with Guess the Score and have already had a good few entries. Check the replies at https://safc.blog/2014/02/sunderland-vs-manchester-city-prize-guess-the-score-its-their-cup-final/ and see which scorelines remain available. I’d prefer you to leave your predictions there but will regard any here as eligible provided they are the first to nominate a particular result. Read on for a lovely story from Hetton and then the details of the competition …


From Nic Wiseman , co-creator of It’s The Hope I Can’t Stand …

The following notice appeared in this week’s newsletter of Hetton Lyons Primary School:


To recognise Sunderland’s achievement in reaching the Carling Cup Final (sic) on Sunday we will be allowing all children to come to school dressed in red and white on Friday. The children who have Sunderland kits may wear them for school. We will have a black and white day when Newcastle have something to celebrate.

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From our archives, four years ago today: Wembley Countdown, Colin remembers

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Jake: nearer and nearer
Jake: nearer and nearer

John McCormick writes:  in 2014 M Salut began a series called “Countdown to Wembley”. Although the date stamp above says 27th Feb the piece below was actually something he wrote on 27th January, just four short years ago.

How many managers since? How many trials and tribulations since?  But along with the grief we managed a Wembley appearance and six in a row.

So it hasn’t always been bad, and with Chris Coleman on board  it’s surely time to remember just what we have done in recent years, to look to the future and to continue to keep the faith …

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Countdown to Wembley: not daring to dream

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Jake: 'oh Vito Mannone'
Jake: ‘oh Vito Mannone’

Still they keep coming. Eric Sweeney has not written for Salut! Sunderland for some time but, like so many others, has been spurred into action by the heartwarming Wembley run (s), Gus Poyet’s battling leadership and that familiar enemy – hope …

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Sunderland vs Manchester City: prize Guess the Score. It’s their cup final

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Campo Retro's prize
Campo Retro’s prize

Cup final week, even if technically not, so let’s go early with Guess the Score – and let’s also have a bumper entry …

A Caribbean cruise? No. Tickets for the World Cup Final in Brazil? Not quite.

That’s the bad news. The good is that the League Cup final Guess the Score is not just any old win-a-mug competition, and nor is it one of those prize-free duds.

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Countdown to Wembley: the long and short of Sunderland’s big day out

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Jake: 'que sera sera'
Jake: ‘que sera sera’

Salut! Sunderland offers all readers, contributors and stray visitors the chance to have their say about reaching Wembley again for the first time in 16 years, the first cup final in 22. Kevin Maguire, associate editor of the Daily Mirror, political pundit and a familiar voice on radio and TV, is a lifelong Sunderland fan. To prove that any contributions to this series will be welcome, long or short, he is distinctly economical with his words. They’re heartfelt all the same …

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Countdown to Wembley: sorry history of Sunderland finals (minus 1937 and 1973)

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Jake: 'any chance of tickets for March 2 and May 17?'
Jake: ‘any chance of tickets for March 2 and May 17?’

Countdown to Wembley: click along this line for the series so far

It is time to urge Salut! Sunderland readers young and old to come up with their own contributions to a series that will run up to the eve of the Capital one Cup final on March 2. Write to us at salutsunderland@gmail.com and you’ll probably find us an open door subject to usual rules of decency and avoidance of defamation. This is based on a piece written for ESPNFC.com’s Sunderland pages and it therefore intended to appeal to a broader audience including people who do not support SAFC …

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