John McCormick writes: What size crowd will turn up on Friday? It’s on TV and we’ve just lost, which will have some impact, yet it’s at the beginning of a holiday weekend and Good Friday games have always had a good turnout. And, it’s a crucial game, for both clubs.
Which hasn’t always been the case as Pete Sixsmith, looking back to some very different Roker Ends, recalls.
Monsieur Salut writes: Thom Bolton, our Doncaster Rovers interviewee, is a welcome visitor to the Stadium of Light for a game he has been determined all season (like so many away fans) to attend. However, he isn’t nearly as welcome as his little lad Zeke, who will be at his second away match of the season, and who, more importantly, is making a splendid recovery from cancer. Bravo, young ‘un, and stay strong. Any other theme for this introduction pales into insignificance, though Thom’s answers present another good read in the Who are You? series …
Will it be a Good Friday or are we heading for purgatory? With some trepidation, Salut! Sunderland invites readers to do what none could hope to do before the Coventry game and correctly predict the outcome of SAFC vs Doncaster Rovers.
It is reasonable to suggest that the Easter weekend will bring a clearer idea of whether we can still go up to the Championship in an automatic top-two place or have to rely on the painful lottery of the playoffs.
Donny at home on Friday is followed by a tough trip to Peterborough on Monday – not that we currently show much sign of being able to treat any game as other than tough.
Part one of our mid-season review looked forward to the Christmas games.
Part two looked at what had happened up to New Year’s Day.
Part three was delayed until yesterday, and I’m taking the time to update that post after yesterday’s results. The first part of this one is the same as yesterday, given that we didn’t play. It’s the discussion of the breakaway group that has changed:
By now you should have read part one of this series, the preview of the Christmas period which I wrote for the SAFC programme. You might even remember some of the words I wrote, especially the conclusion:
“Christmas and early January remain crucial, which for us means holding our own away and completing doubles over Bradford and Shrewsbury at home. I’m not one for predicting results or tempting fate, and am all too aware there are no easy games in this league but I think we can do that, and I can see us still being in contention when the decorations come down.”
Another away day (or night), another significant win for Sunderland. Pete Sixsmith expects to see quite a few victories this season as Jack Ross’s resurgent squad continues to impress. There’ll be disappointments along the way but three away wins in a row, if it represents a trend that can be maintained, is automatic promotion form …
Our service could be a bit delayed tomorrow. Not only has Pete Sixsmith to get home, he’ll probably have to compose himself before he can compose his report. And if he does manage to send it early he will find we’re all otherwise engaged.
But we will get there in the end, which is what our team appears to be doing according to Pete’s post-game seven word text:
John McCormick writes: Yorkshire seems to be cropping up a lot, even though we left a few of their clubs behind when we dropped out of the Championship. The truth is there are only three Yorkshire clubs in the third division and we’re playing two of them them close together.
I’ve passed through Doncaster on the train loads of times and hitched around it enough yet I know little about the town or the club. The closest I’ve been in a footballing context was that April 45 years ago, when I was stuck on a roundabout on the outskirts while I was on my way to Sheffield for a game that we won.
Pete Sixsmith can do better than that:
Monsieur Salut writes: Pete Sixsmith has, as ever, written a wonderful article on Doncaster Rovers for his twin series on the ‘first time ever I saw you team/ground‘. It is sheer class, should appeal to fans of both Donny and SAFC and will appear here tomorrow. For now, we have Darren Burke*, a passionate Doncaster Rovers fan whose enthusiasm and pride shine throughout another fine contribution to Salut! Sunderland‘s Who are You? series …
For this midweek visit to Doncaster Rovers, Salut! Sunderland reverts to a “just for fun” format for the Guess the Score.
The coffers are empty and there’s a backlog of prizes to be ordered for previous winners.
Normal service – ie prize mugs – will be restored once M Salut feels less skint and has honoured outstanding obligations.
