Old Trafford

Salut! Sunderland Nostalgia: stuck in the mud after Millwall end cup dream

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MudImage: Peter Burgess

Monsieur Salut is back in the UK, will be at Southampton on Saturday and awaits a winning goal from John O’Shea, who crowned his magnificent career in international football with a last-gap equaliser for Ireland as he claimed his 100th cap against Germany. Whatever happens at St Mary’s, Salut! Sunderland salutes John’s great achievement.

Ahead of that, let’s take another shameless dip into the archives, from the days when Salut! Sunderland had so few readers such postings were probably not seen at all. It did also appear in a matchday SAFC programme but if you missed it in either place, and have a soft spot for other people’s hard luck stories, read on. You’ll learn about a Big Match day out – our last appearance in an FA Cup semi-final, back in 2004 – that sticks nastily in the memory for some Sunderland supporters …

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Sixer’s Travels: Ozzies rampant, Sunderland dormant

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Sixer wonders why Michael Portillo never travels by First Trans Pennine not so Express
Sixer wonders why Michael Portillo never travels by First Trans Pennine not so Express

Friday night saw Peter Sixsmith in attendance at the first Northern League game to be played at Consett’s new Belle View ground and Saturday saw him forgo his usual Saturday footy fix for the lure of the Rugby League World Cup Final at Old Trafford, leaving it to Super Sub Bob Chapman to step off the Salut! Sunderland bench.

Last weekend although England had run the Kiwis close, they lost to the last kick of the match, meaning it was the 13 man equivalent of the All Blacks that would face up to the mighty Kangaroos. Pete booked his ticket months ago and put his disappointment to one side to root for the underdogs. The result wasn’t to his liking and neither was the journey there or back. Still he managed to catch MOTD and reflects on what he saw at the end of a long day, at Old Trafford and on the Saturday night highlights package.

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Soapbox: City leaves Sixer kind of blue – Leeds miles ahead

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In the second and final part of his Saturday trilogy (OK I know a trilogy has three parts but he had to miss Gateshead’s draw with bottom club Hyde, which was to form the vanilla part of his neapolitan, because there simply wasn’t the time) Pete Sixsmith reveals how his long term relationship with the beautiful game was put to the test by a liaison with his first love …

Pete on the corner, kind of blue,takes seven steps to heaven for big fun as Leeds are miles ahead

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Stick-in-the-mud day recalled as Man City await Stoke or Bolton

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MudImage: Peter Burgess

FA Cup semi-finals weekend: we weren’t involved after our meek early exit. We now know Man City will be back at Wembley for the final, having beaten Man United. Bolton and Stoke battle it out – hardly the phrase now I’ve seen the 5-0 scoreline in City’s favour – today to decide who will be the pundits’ tip for losing finalists. We also have yet another Sunderland Premier defeat to try to forget, as we will in time. So while Pete Sixsmith sharpens his pen (and maybe knife) before delivering his Soapbox view on that one, let’s take another shameless dip into the archives, from the days when Salut! Sunderland had so few readers such postings were probably not seen at all. It did also appear in a matchday SAFC programme but if you missed it in either place, and have a soft spot for other people’s hard luck stories, read on. You’ll learn about a Big Match day out – our last appearance in an FA Cup semi-final, back in 2004 – that sticks nastily in the memory for some Sunderland supporters …

It is bad enough being dumped out of the FA Cup after reaching the semi-finals and a game against Millwall that we all expect to win.

But you know it’s not your day when you are then dumped in the mud near Derby – sorry, County fans, nothing personal about the location – on your way home.

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