42 years ago, a NEVER to be forgotten day...over to you Sir Gary....

"Should we go for a fifth or just take the piss?"

Kevin Arnott, 24 February 1979...:lol::lol::lol::lol:
 


One of the best days of my life. 17 years old - remember walking up from Marlborough car park (we were in my mate’s car) and there seemed to be Sunderland everywhere. Missed the Bath Lane stuff if I’m honest, though everyone in the ground was talking about it. Botto’s night club in Consett on the night and absolutely slaughtered. I’d give anything to have those times back...
 
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Lo Ursem said:
From what I remember the ground seemed full and the capacity around 36000.
The previous season when Blyth played there in the cup 42 to 43000 were in with the gates shut. This was before the Leazes was reduced in size.

on on o
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The old LE got demolished at the end of the mags relegation season 77/78. They'd qualified for Europe the previous season (which didn't last long) which was also the season we got relegated despite our incredible revival Inc the 4 nil, six one and six nil in consecutive matches. It reduced the capacity by around 8000 as it held around 12000 (was shallower than the FE) before being knocked down. I recall lads singing "tip toe through the Leazes with your handbag and your water pistol, tip toe thru the Leazes with me" to the tune of Tiny Tim's tiptoe thru the tulips" :D
When I got in to the ground for the 4-1 game, I was impressed with how many Safc were there. Logan 5 said 7500 and that seems right. There was certainly more than in December 76 when we had a third of the GE and didn't fill it. However, the ground definitely wasn't full.
In the mid to late 60s it was impossible to guess how many were there as travelling fans didn't all stand in one section and it was never all ticket, but thousands used to go through esp as there was generally little chew on until 68/69 season when the derbies became nasty affairs off the pitch.
 
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Monkey Boots said:
One of the best days of my life. 17 years old - remember walking up from Marlborough car park (we were in my mate’s car) and there seemed to be Sunderland everywhere. Missed the Bath Lane stuff if I’m honest, though everyone in the ground was talking about it. Botto’s night club in Consett on the night and absolutely slaughtered. I’d give anything to have those times back...
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My stomping ground to Botto's night club we had a good following them days from Consett.
 
Luna17 said:
I'm not going to argue with you or anyone else about my experience in the shittest police escort of all time AFTER the match.

I have no idea about the events before the game as we came through early via regular bus. No one waiting at Worswick street at midday.

After the game, those in the Leazes End who were going back by train were told to wait behind whilst the police got the escort ready and cleared any jawdees from the car park immediately behind the LE. Those who had come by car or bus wandered out and away, as no doubt did the lads who could handle themselves. But the fact remains, when the escort set off from the ground at least 25 minutes after the end of the game, there were at least 1500 in it. The two sections of Safc in the adjoining paddock seemed to melt away before the end of the match , no doubt keeping their heads down as they mingled in with the extremely disgruntled mags and headed for home.

I would quite like to tell you that the walk down to Central station was a piece of piss and that attacking mags were put on their arses and sent packing but, in the escort that set off from the ground at 5.30 ish, we were harried and attacked from the Corporation Road petrol station, down Bath Lane and part of Westgate Road.

I'm sure a good few mags who attacked the escort got more than they bargained for, but in the section we were in, it was mayhem and a good few Safc took kicks and punches.

All I can say is that after the game, you must have been in an escort that set off before the one I was in because I saw nothing of what you say.
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Let’s just say you clearly move in different circles.
Cochise 2 is absolutely spot on in what happened.
Vauxies/Gateshead/FW’s lot from East Durham/all the Durham areas etc were very well organised for this game and had a good day out.
 
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Sons of The Wear said:
Let’s just say you clearly move in different circles.
Cochise 2 is absolutely spot on in what happened.
Vauxies/Gateshead/FW’s lot from East Durham/all the Durham areas etc were very well organised for this game and had a good day out.
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I'm happy to go along with that.
I wasn't saying what Cochise2 said was untrue, it's just my experience that day which I've described without embellishment, was different and certainly more frightening.
Was still a brilliant day, and to "survive" without being kicked to ####, or having my nose rearranged was even better.
 
I seem to recall getting on the train at Boldon Colliery and the Sunderland fans singing (to the tune of Into The Valley by The Skids) ‘Into the Leazes, Roker wil go’..... Does anyone else remember that being sang around that time or was it just a one off sang by the fans on my carriage that day?
 
Logan 5 said:
Sorry mate, I know its just a typo - but I couldn't help laughing at the thought of mags being dragged out by their (man) "boobies"... :lol:
I mean, I know some of them were right fat bastards but...
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Wasn't a typo ... they were boobies that day!!! No idea what they were doing!!!
 
Memorable game for me, too...big time!
My first derby as a sports journalist having made the switch from a news reporter on the Chronicle to join the sports team on The Journal. In those days myself and John Richardson, also newly appointed, covered Sunderland and Newcastle alternately...one week covering us, the next the Mags...for the derby we combined and were both in that crow's nest press box at the top of the old 'Nissen Hut' main stand.
I concentrated on the Sunderland angle and, of course, it was a fantastic match...I'd already built quite a good rapport with Gary Rowell (we're both Seaham lads) and I was made up for him.
Next day we wanted a follow-up and I arranged pictures...Gary was snapped with one of his legs strapped up as he'd finished the match carrying an ankle (if my memory is right) knock. But it couldn't wipe the smile off his face. What a day for him.
Wayne Entwistle was a nice lad...a Lancashire farm boy with limited ability but he was a trier. His goal from Rowell's cross was fair reward for his efforts. I remember him scoring a hat-trick himself at Roker on a freezing night around that time, too.
Happy days....what a way to introduce myself to covering Wear-Tyne derbies after years of watching the Lads from the terraces.
 
Luna17 said:

Battle of Bath Lane before the game, and absolute bedlam after the match as the sheer numbers of despondent mags overwhelmed the police escort to the station.

Was it worth it ? You feckin betcha life it was :lol:
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None it it counts mate, sorry to disappoint. Rowell may have scored 4 however our goal was the best finish, thus we were and are moral winners.
Tin Soldier said:
I think this was the day the skunks realised that they could no longer take the piss with Sunderland and since then have received more than they’ve given at all fixtures home and away. They would never run the gauntlet in Sunderland the way we do in Newcastle ! They have been wrapped in cotton wool since the SOL opened
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Whilst some of this may be true (the start) most simply isn't.

We have "run the gauntlet" at Sunderland many times.

Has the gauntlet been as bad?..... Not sure but I have been there when it has been far from a happy stroll from Seaburn with a warm greeting from Windmills and The Blue Bell.

We haven't always been wrapped in cotton wool either. I did not, for example, witness much cotton wool in either the first SOL game or the 1-1 when Cabaye scored early. The latter being a prime example of no cotton wool whatsoever.

"Received more than they've given at all fixtures since" is simply not true. The first game at SOL, for instance. When specifically have you run amok in Newcastle since then?

I think most memories of away days / big games are somewhat tainted by bias. The truth of who has the upper hand is usually somewhere in the clouded middle ground.
 
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Luna17 said:
The old LE got demolished at the end of the mags relegation season 77/78. They'd qualified for Europe the previous season (which didn't last long) which was also the season we got relegated despite our incredible revival Inc the 4 nil, six one and six nil in consecutive matches. It reduced the capacity by around 8000 as it held around 12000 (was shallower than the FE) before being knocked down. I recall lads singing "tip toe through the Leazes with your handbag and your water pistol, tip toe thru the Leazes with me" to the tune of Tiny Tim's tiptoe thru the tulips" :D
When I got in to the ground for the 4-1 game, I was impressed with how many Safc were there. Logan 5 said 7500 and that seems right. There was certainly more than in December 76 when we had a third of the GE and didn't fill it. However, the ground definitely wasn't full.
In the mid to late 60s it was impossible to guess how many were there as travelling fans didn't all stand in one section and it was never all ticket, but thousands used to go through esp as there was generally little chew on until 68/69 season when the derbies became nasty affairs off the pitch.
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The Leazes End was knocked down before the end of the season. In a three sided ground the Mags played before less than 8000 for their final league match.
You may already have an idea of this but when we won promotion in 80 the capacity of Roker was 47077 divided as follows: Roker End 17150 Fulwell 12500 clockstand paddock 4250 main stand paddock 4180 seats in main stand 5397 seats in clockstand 3600.
These figures are from the excellent 1979 Sunderland centenary book written by Arthur Appleton, far and away the best thing ever published about the lads.
 
Lo Ursem said:
The Leazes End was knocked down before the end of the season. In a three sided ground the Mags played before less than 8000 for their final league match.
You may already have an idea of this but when we won promotion in 80 the capacity of Roker was 47077 divided as follows: Roker End 17150 Fulwell 12500 clockstand paddock 4250 main stand paddock 4180 seats in main stand 5397 seats in clockstand 3600.
These figures are from the excellent 1979 Sunderland centenary book written by Arthur Appleton, far and away the best thing ever published about the lads.
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Interesting stats.
Sons of The Wear said:
Let’s just say you clearly move in different circles.
Cochise 2 is absolutely spot on in what happened.
Vauxies/Gateshead/FW’s lot from East Durham/all the Durham areas etc were very well organised for this game and had a good day out.
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You weren’t there.A bigger mistake you couldn’t make regarding what the papers described as The Battle Of Bath Lane.
 
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Another strong memory of the day for me was my mates Dad (some of the Seaburn Lads will no my mate by the nickname E.T) catching a wall brick thrown into the Leazes end from the Mags in the paddocks and preventing it smashing into our heads.
 
Sons of The Wear said:
You are a Mag, it's well known. And I was there-your lot weren't very cocky that day, running out of the back of the Waterloo and some up Stowell Street.
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Yes ran like vermin like what they are ! Biggest shock seeing
Sons of The Wear said:
You are a Mag, it's well known. And I was there-your lot weren't very cocky that day, running out of the back of the Waterloo and some up Stowell Street.
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Still running up Stowell St ! Coughed in their rompers when they met us 😉
 

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