On This Day (27th April 1996): Sunderland’s Second Tier Life At Roker Ends With A Trophy!

Our game at Oakwell is a last throw of the dice, coming just after the transfer deadline. New investment from John Fickling (~£600,000) all went on the signature of Brett Angell from Everton, and a young Dominic Matteo joined on loan from Liverpool.

Both played, we lost 2-0, and it turns out Matteo shouldn’t have played because we screwed up the paperwork – and there was potential for points being docked. So here is our movie script, low point, ladies and gentlemen.

Enter stage left, Peter Reid. Our last three managerial appointments – stretching back almost eight years at this point – had been from the existing backroom or playing staff, and this was a surprise to everyone.

At a time when the club had seemingly run out of ideas, they brought in someone with a good track record who was unlucky to be sacked by Peter Swailes at Manchester City. He had seven games to keep us up, and by the end, we were six points clear of Swindon.

In the summer, Paul Bracewell arrived at Sunderland for a third time – this time in the role of player/assistant manager – a young John Mullin arrived from Burnley, and most importantly perhaps, Bobby Saxton joined Reid’s coaching staff. But that was it.

With pretty much the same squad, the season slowly built up momentum. After winning just two of the first seven, we hit the top of the table in mid-December after beating Millwall 6-0 at Roker.

Going back to our movie script, it isn’t all plain sailing after the montage – there needs to be another twist. It would have been too easy if we’d simply hit the top of the league and gone on to win the title by ten points. We’re also forgetting this is Sunderland, and that isn’t how we do things.

I’m saying this because we won once in the next nine games, and we’re clinging on to a play-off place by our fingernails by mid-February. At this point, new loan signing Shay Given has found his feet, and Lee Howey scores a bullet header at Portsmouth, and we win nine on the bounce, conceding only once in eight games.

In the weeks to come, Reid’s side claims promotion without playing due to results elsewhere, and when the last home game of the season arrives, we need just a point to claim the title.

The visitors were Alan Buckley’s West Bromwich Albion, and in front of a party atmosphere on a typically windy Roker day, the game was pretty dismal. Lee Howey placed a shot from the edge of the box over the bar, and hit the post with a header, and Brett Angell got on the pitch… for West Brom (as he went out on loan).

By far the biggest cheer of the day was the final whistle, and the cheers continued as the party started at Roker. Kevin Ball and Peter Reid were last out of the tunnel, and the trophy was presented. The players paraded the pitch, there were tears in the stands, tears from Bobby Saxton on the pitch – it was a day that nobody who was in attendance will forget.

Saturday 27th April, 1996

Division One

Sunderland 0-0 West Bromwich Albion

Roker Park

Sunderland: Chamberlain, Kubicki, Melville, Ord, Scott, Agnew, Bracewell, Hall, Gray, Russell, Howey (Bridges) Substitutes not used: Aiston, Smith

West Brom: Spink, Burgess, Darby, Sneekes, Rees (Angell), Comyn, Butler, Holmes, Hunt, Hamilton, Gilbert Substitutes not used: Coldicott, Donovan

Attendance: 22,027