RR Way Back When: Sunderland 1-2 Brighton (1981) - Last-gasp sickener at Roker Park!

RTG

RTG

Robot
Staff member
Photo by Peter Robinson/EMPICS via Getty Images Roker Report writer Andrew Cockburn once again reels back the old Sunderland tape to a season transpiring in an all-too-familiar way: a ruthlessly desperate relegation battle! Season 1980-81 saw us return to the “big time” after a four-year exile in the old Second Division and after an...

More at Roker Report...
 


RTG said:
Photo by Peter Robinson/EMPICS via Getty Images Roker Report writer Andrew Cockburn once again reels back the old Sunderland tape to a season transpiring in an all-too-familiar way: a ruthlessly desperate relegation battle! Season 1980-81 saw us return to the “big time” after a four-year exile in the old Second Division and after an...

More at Roker Report...
Click to expand...
At that match....
 
What an horrendous feeling that was when the final whistle blew.
The grim realisation that we'd probably need to win at Anfield the following week!
The Reds were already in the EC final which was to be played 10 days later. Would this help us?
Nevertheless, we looked doomed as we surely couldn't pull this one out of the bag could we?
 
I was at every other home game that season but missed that one. I chose to see my village team Whickham play at Wembley in the FA Vase final which they won 3-2 after being 2-0 down and then concussing their keeper. Found out Sunderland had lost to a last minute goal and that relegation seemed likely. A strange day of mixed feelings.
 
Who is the Brighton player pictured in the article? He’s unnamed! Are these RR lads after a start at the Echo or what?

I’m sure its Peter Ward, who didn’t play that day according to statcat. They’ve a Peter Sullivan listed who I think played a similar role to Ward.
I know Ward moved around that time to Forest as Cloughie tried to rebuild their EC winning team after they cashed in with some of their players who’d been as cheap as chips a few years earlier moving on. I think he was an attempt at replacing Trevor Francis who went somewhere before going to Italy.

Wards probably most famous as a pub quiz question from years ago as having the shortest England career after being a sub in his only game with all the subs now that’s probably long gone.


Frosty Kempes said:
We would have stayed up anyway without winning at Liverpool. Still was a wonderful end to the season!
Click to expand...
I was gutted when I read that the next morning!
 
Last edited:
riffraff said:
Who is the Brighton player pictured in the article? He’s unnamed! Are these RR lads after a start at the Echo or what?

I’m sure its Peter Ward, who didn’t play that day according to statcat. They’ve a Peter Sullivan listed who I think played a similar role to Ward.
I know Ward moved around that time to Forest as Cloughie tried to rebuild their EC winning team after they cashed in with some of their players who’d been as cheap as chips a few years earlier moving on. I think he was an attempt at replacing Trevor Francis who went somewhere before going to Italy.

Wards probably most famous as a pub quiz question from years ago as having the shortest England career after being a sub in his only game with all the subs now that’s probably long gone.



I was gutted when I read that the next morning!
Click to expand...
The Brighton player is Gary Williams mate.
inparallellines.wordpress.com

Gary Williams knew where the goal was – even from left back

A CARTILAGE operation when he was just 17 changed Gary Williams’ career, but, after success at Brighton, it eventually brought his playing days to a premature end at Crystal Palace. Originally a wi…
inparallellines.wordpress.com inparallellines.wordpress.com
 
The following week we were away at Liverpool while Norwich were at home to already relegated Leicester. We were as good as down, no chance of Liverpool giving us anything or Norwich slipping up.
 
DrewC said:
At that match....
Click to expand...
So was i, but the away game at Liverpool more than made up for it. One of my favouite away games, with Stan Cummings banging in the winner after turning Phil Neal inside out.
Never had any intention of going to Anfield. Used to work every Saturday morning at that time and jokingly told them if i wasnt in, i would have gone to the match.
Cut to The Chesters about 10 o'clock on the Friday nite after a few bottles of Double and we were now going to the match.
Cracking win and well worth stopping off work.
With all the coach's coming back over the M62 having signs in the back, showing Fuck off Cowie, Sunderland stopping up.
 
Luna17 said:
Michael Robinson got one of them for Brighton. We always seemed to be linked with him in early 80s. Didn't he go to Liverpool and flop?
Click to expand...

Yeah - to be honest I thought he was prolific other than his spell at Liverpool but he only averaged 1 in 4 throughout his career and some of that was in division 2.
 
I was at both of those. Heaven and hell.
Think in the end the Liverpool win didn't matter because if other results, but that didn't change the day at all.
And of course, a hat tip to Bob Paisley, who did not exactly gee his team up for the game, saying later that " if it had been a horse race they'd gave called in the stewards"!
Only Bob could have said something like that.
 

Back
Top