1993 Bennett testimonial


All I remember is the Rangers signing nothing but anti-catholic & anti-pope songs.
Was talking to a few in the Blue Bell and this lad was ranting on for ages about the Catholics and how awful they were, he went to the bog and his mate who had had to endure these rants on regular occasions I'd imagine said you'd never have guessed he's married to one! We fell about laughing and just shows how pathetic it all is.
Lots of union Jacks about and the Queen had never been so popular on Wearside as on that night.
I was in the Main Stand seats, a midweek game. Rangers had the Roker End and Clockstand Roker wing.They had massive para military flags and created a good atmosphere. I did not see any real bother. Before the game about 10 Rangers lads were playing the flute in a circle outside the Roker Park Suite and the coppers and Sunderland fans were watching them and there was no trouble.
Our team at the time was poor, they totally outclassed us in the game.
It was reported later that two brothers from Easington Colliery had been slashed in the face downstairs in The Double Maxim pub in High Street West. Chelsea supporters were blamed as they had an association with the Rangers around that time . The Glasgow lads had chased the culprits and looked after the two injured lads who went to hospital.
A few weeks later Rangers Directors invited the two brothers up to Ibrox for an all expenses trip and they had a great time.

I remember too the pre season game in 1967 when Celtic came down and they were in every stand at Roker. It was a packed house, we were in the clock stand and the Celtic blokes were waving bayonets over their heads when singing and families with women and men filling fish bowls with whisky and passing it around for folk to drink.
It was Baxter's first game for Sunderland and they were calling him throughout the match. Even though we had a good team they hammered us 5-0. They were about 3-4 weeks ahead of us in fitness. At 2 pm, two Celtic B teams played an exhibition match before the main game and they had some cracking players.
Lots of them stayed in Sunderland for about 4 days both before and after the match. Well oiled.
Double Maxim pub on High Street???
 
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Was talking to a few in the Blue Bell and this lad was ranting on for ages about the Catholics and how awful they were, he went to the bog and his mate who had had to endure these rants on regular occasions I'd imagine said you'd never have guessed he's married to one! We fell about laughing and just shows how pathetic it all is.
Lots of union Jacks about and the Queen had never been so popular on Wearside as on that night.

Double Maxim pub on High Street???
It was Digbys
 
Was talking to a few in the Blue Bell and this lad was ranting on for ages about the Catholics and how awful they were, he went to the bog and his mate who had had to endure these rants on regular occasions I'd imagine said you'd never have guessed he's married to one! We fell about laughing and just shows how pathetic it all is.
Lots of union Jacks about and the Queen had never been so popular on Wearside as on that night.

Double Maxim pub on High Street???
It was digbys,wasn't it?
 
They had an excellent team back then. I am sure the season before (1992-93) they won the domestic treble in Scotland and went unbeaten in the inaugural UEFA Champions League where they played the eventual winners Marseille and Leeds in the Battle of Britain. Cannot recall Ally McCoist playing in Gary Bennett's testimonial match - was he injured?

Yeah he was injured mate.

They probably should have won the CL. It’s scary how far Scottish football has fallen tbh.
 
I know it's a bit before, but in the 90 world cup, I am sure there were more rangers players in the England squad than from any other team. I think there were 5 or 6. Would be a canny little quiz to name them(without googling).

Good question that.

I pretty sure Stevens played in the semi. Woods and Butcher were both in the squad.
 
I vaguely remember a fan encroaching the pitch and kissing a Rangers scarf and was roundly booed by the Fulwell End. He then produced a Sunderland scarf and kissed that too. As he was led away by the police the whole ground cheered him. Rangers were immense, too quick and powerful for us on the evening and Mark Hateley was almost unplayable, scoring a brace of second half goals and nearly snapping the crossbar with a towering header.
I was down the front of the Fulwell next to the goal with the bairn and the one single picture in my mind of the match is one shot of Hately in the air . Never seen power like it since. Literally all i can remember of the match
 
Yeah he was injured mate.

They probably should have won the CL. It’s scary how far Scottish football has fallen tbh.
Very true. I had a quick check and Rangers were unbeaten in ten European games that year, finished one-point behind Marseille in Group A (it was a different format in those days) who went on to defeat AC Milan in the final. How times change. Thanks for the clarification about McCoist. I'm sure that he would have been devastated to have missed the opportunity to play at Roker Park again given his affinity and history with the football club.
I was down the front of the Fulwell next to the goal with the bairn and the one single picture in my mind of the match is one shot of Hately in the air . Never seen power like it since. Literally all i can remember of the match
Funnily enough that's what resonates with me from the match itself was Hateley's tremendous presence in the air and particularly his powerful header that struck the crossbar which such force that it caused it to visibly reverberate. He and McCoist would have been a formidable partnership for opposition defences to contend with at the peak of their powers.
 
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Very true. I had a quick check and Rangers were unbeaten in ten European games that year, finished one-point behind Marseille in Group A (it was a different format in those days) who went on to defeat AC Milan in the final. How times change. Thanks for the clarification about McCoist. I'm sure that he would have been devastated to have missed the opportunity to play at Roker Park again given his affinity and history with the football club.

Funnily enough that's what resonates with me from the match itself was Hateley's tremendous presence in the air and particularly his powerful header that struck the crossbar which such force that it caused it to visibly reverberate. He and McCoist would have been a formidable partnership for opposition defences to contend with at the peak of their powers.
Think the only one ive seen since with the same power is ibrahimovic.
 
Was my 1st game. I was a scared 10 year old that night. Remember a mag coming on the pitch I think.

Was a Rangers fan. Kissed their scarf and got booed. Kissed our scarf as well and got cheered by the whole of Roker. Think a Mag got booted out of the Clock Stand paddock though.
 

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