1985 milk cup


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I was there and had the nightmare journey from hell on the train on the way back......took us to the Midlands on the wrong line, then got us off the train and took us back to London then back up North. It was a f***ing depressing day all round and to make it worse I was presented with some medals from Steve Bruce a couple of weeks later.:evil:


yeah this is pretty much how i remebered it. Sunderland fans fantastic though.
I think we all knew that we would lose as soon as Walker missed the pen - team and fans alike. It was only when Benno got forward late on that we looked like we might score.

Too big a game for many of our players at the time, particularly Corner, Pickering and Barry Venison all of which were nervous as fuck - it was Norwichs experienced players ie Asa Hartford, Mick Channon, John Deehan, Dave Watson ( the ex Lpool defender) and Chris Woods ( ex forest keeper ) that won the day for them.
 
Painted my hair red & white.... Set off early with Donnie supporters club.

Was certain we were going to win...realised when Walker missed the penalty it wasn't going to happen.... in tears at the end then feeling very proud as our fans upped the volume in defiance just as norwich collected the trophy - but then applauded Them on their lap of honour.

Sat in Wembley car park for hours.. Their fans held up signs saying 'hard luck, lads'. That sort of stuff was unheard of in the mid 80's.

As a kid I'd always said I'd never go Wembley unless Sunderland played there so it was my first visit. We managed to repeat that same disappointing experience again on my next two visits as well.
 
Painted my hair red & white.... Set off early with Donnie supporters club.

Was certain we were going to win...realised when Walker missed the penalty it wasn't going to happen.... in tears at the end then feeling very proud as our fans upped the volume in defiance just as norwich collected the trophy - but then applauded Them on their lap of honour.

Sat in Wembley car park for hours.. Their fans held up signs saying 'hard luck, lads'. That sort of stuff was unheard of in the mid 80's.

As a kid I'd always said I'd never go Wembley unless Sunderland played there so it was my first visit. We managed to repeat that same disappointing experience again on my next two visits as well.


yeah this - but the play off final v Swindon was a lot worse than the Norwich game. That was the first time I experienced how gutless Sunderland teams can be at times
 
I was there. Travelled the night before (overnight stop in Watford) with my mate and his parents in their Lada Riva car.
 
was there, and was at Carrow Road the week before when we beat them 3-1 in the League, they were pisspoor in that game so actually remember thinking we might well win the final!

Dire performance on the day. lot of players didn't deliver.

Think after the final we only won once more in the League that season (away at Coventry) and ended up second bottom

yeah this - but the play off final v Swindon was a lot worse than the Norwich game. That was the first time I experienced how gutless Sunderland teams can be at times

could quite easily have been 5-0 to them but for Tony Norman that day
 
Was at Spurs away (got hit on the head with a bottle) frightening night. Watford was class with loads of sunderland everywhere. Chelsea was what you would expect Chelsea to be like in the 80's.
As for the final, this is what following sunderland is all about!
Just read Ashurts book, and I didn't know that the players were pissed off about two things. They had been promised a bonus from Batley (a director) after the Chelsea win but Cowie reneged on that( as a footnote Cowie was on holiday when we beat Chelsea !). The players had been limited to two (I think) tickets per player and these were towards the corners; while the Norwich players had been given as many as they wanted, with family tickets in the royal box area. Obviously they had less demand, but the directors had royal box tickets! So all was not well behind the schemes on the build up to the final. Top that off with Vension ( in think) having to black out his Nike logo on his boots or risk not playing as we were sponsored by someone else (umbro ?).
This tells you so much about SAFC!
Ps were Gary Rowell and MoN not Norwich players at the time, although not in the squad?
 
only £5 to get in to stand

not sure but it was possibly the last 100000 crowd in this country for a football match

Ps were Gary Rowell and MoN not Norwich players at the time, although not in the squad?


rowell yes and he came to the main safc end, with the trophy at the end
 
We went on the drink in town the night before and got last bus up to Grindon and left on a coach from the Sandhills about midnight.Me mate had put a can on overhead rack and I was sitting on back seat so about 10 seconds after we pulled away I got covered in lager.Remeber being in the wimpy in Piccadilly Circus drinking vodka and coke at about 7 in morning.Im sure we kidnapped someone from Grindon and he slept around the coaches wheel during the match so we couldn't leave without him.Cant really remember much about the match and what we done afterwards.
 
rowell yes and he came to the main safc end, with the trophy at the end

One of my strongest memories of the day, "One Gary Rowell" when he came over to us with the cup.

Went to Palace home match, then moved to London a couple of weeks later and got to go to Spurs, Watford and Chelsea away games. Turner was my favourite player at the time and as everyone knows, he was immense at Spurs and also at Watford. A great cup run with a typical SAFC ending!
 
I went with two lads same age as me(around 20) unfortunately both are dead now. Just to depress you more I've been to Wembley four times and seen us get beat all four!
 
standing was hopeless....couldn't see nowt...not that there was owt to see.
 
Just to depress you more I've been to Wembley four times and seen us get beat all four,

I can top that :roll: since I went to the mercantile credit thingamajig where we lost to tranmere (?) and missed another penalty so 5 out of 5.:-(
 
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It was indeed Carty. It failed at every conceivable level. Even the much vaunted "atmosphere" was shit. Friendly final my arse, shorthand for totally failed to generate any passion.
it was crap. i was on a coach next to the window and got a right soaking off condensation.

this affected my prawn sandwiches and battneburg :evil:

i even stood with the rabble ;)
 
Yes - recall the skydiver, the goal, the penalty, and Gary Rowell but not much else - remember expecting Wembley being a glamourous experience but we were sitting on a wooden school bench. Terrible drive home - seemed like it was nose to tail for miles and miles. Got into school knackered the following day and the deputy head (a mag) told me to follow him into the assembly hall - he said "look, just for you" and they had put hundreds of daffodils (green and yellow :evil:) along the front of the stage for a musical we were putting on - wanker!
 
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