The 1891/92 season started pretty badly, but would end up hugely successful. Sunderland ended the campaign league champions, the last season as the "Football League", won all of their home games and dished out some absolute hidings along the way.

Before the start of the season Wearside bid farewell to Oliver. He made the short trip to Teesside and Middlesbrough Ironopolis. Whilst the first game of the season resulted in a victory over Wolves, a friendly defeat by Queens Park was followed by successive defeats by Preston, Bolton and Aston Villa. With catastrophe in the air the directors called a crisis meeting, the results of the straight talking was incredible.

Both Hannah and Donald Gow were added to the squad and Sunderland proceeded to win 20 out of the next 22 games, to win their first championship, 5 points ahead of Preston North End. All in all they played 58 games that season, winning 46, losing 9 and scoring an amazing 217 goals. Gow had come from Glasgow Rangers, and had captained his country at aged 19. Sunderland now had 8 internationals amongst their ranks. The addition of Hannah and Gow had an immediate impact with the first win of the season, at home to Everton. Who else but Campbell notching the first goal. He was fast becoming a goal machine.

Whilst the league campaign was in full swing Sunderland still played many friendly matches and 10 October saw Middlesbrough visit Wearside. The red and whites triumphed 4 v 1, even though the likes of Millar were rested. The "A" team were also still very much active and basically beat everyone they played. Such sides as New Trafalgar, Rendel, Science & Arts and Willington Quay were usually despatched with ease.

On 17 October 1891 Sunderland travelled to West Bromwich Albion and defeated The Throstles 5 v 2. Included in the Wearside line-up was Jimmy Logan, a Scottish International. This was his only appearance of the season, and he was released, signing for Notts County. In the 1894 FA cup final, county defeated Bolton Wanderers 4 v 1 and Logan scored a hat trick.

By the time West Bromwich Albion visited on 24 October, Sunderland had risen from bottom to 6th place, and the Throstles were given a "chasing" 4 v 0. Basically it was a case of "all good things come to he who waits". After a poor start Wearside had waited patiently and had been rewarded.

To be honest, for the rest of the season it was a case of "he who came didn’t conquer" and better sides than West Bromwich would be despatched from whence they came. There now appeared a certain inevitability of Sunderland and their first league championship. As if to emphasise the point Accrington, always a tough side, were despatched 4 v 1 with Hannah this time outscoring Campbell. This didn’t happen too often.

Next up was a very warm welcome from the Blackburn folk at Ewood Park Media reports noted how the Lancashire people had taken Wearside’s footballers to their hearts and were very popular. The popularity was increased as Sunderland succumbed to a rare defeat 1 v 3. Hannah, in rich goalscoring vein scored our consolation.

From November 1891 to April 1892 Sunderland won 13 matches in a row, including a 7 v 0 demolition of Darwen. Curiously the squad, known as the Team of all the Talents had only 1 Englishman, the captain. The 3 centre forwards all came from the Renton club. At that time the highest paid player was on £3 per week. The Team lined up as follows:

Doig, Oliver, Porteous, Wilson, Auld, Murray, Smith, Hannah, Campbell, Harvie, Scott.

By 14 November Sunderland had "climbed" to 4rth, only Bolton, Aston villa and Preston were above them. This was as a result of a truly destructive 7 v 1 hammering of Derby County. From the first minute to the last Sunderland were awesome, a Campbell hat trick doing most of the damage. Make no mistake about it, Derby were a good side and nobody’s fools. The press reported that the 5 Sunderland forwards were like a "piece of machinery", almost telepathic in their understanding of one another.

The Wearsiders were now feared, quite simply no-one wanted to play us, especially on our own turf. Next up were Burnley. The 2 v 1 score was not surprising, but something was. Invariably supporters, packed like sardines into the small Newcastle road enclosures, would be injured and for the first time ever there were no reported medical cases at the Infirmary or Monkwearmouth hospitals, as a result of "crushing".

A trip to Stoke City saw a game played in terrible conditions. Torrential rain marred the occasion, but it didn’t matter to Sunderland. The defence stood firm and came away with a 3 v 1 victory.

On 5 December Notts County were the visitors to Newcastle Road, a team much respected by the Wearside folk. But something surprising happened that day to the "A" team. Not renowned for defeats, they "crashed" 1 v 3 to Mickey in an alliance match.

No such trouble for Doig and company, who despatched county 4 v 0. Such winning margins were now becoming common place. It is probably worth stating the usual Sunderland line up for league games as it gives an indication of comparative strength, and Scottish make up: Doig, Porteous, Gow, Gibson, Auld, Murray, J Hannah, D Hannah, Campbell, Millar, Wilson.

The above line up was undoubtedly the best in the league. Watson had put together a formidable outfit, based on flair, imagination and great leadership. The Manager knew exactly what he wanted, got whom he wanted, backed by a progressive boardroom and it paid dividends.

From 12 December until 16 January, Sunderland played 11 games, won 10, drew 1, scored 57 goals and conceded 7. It doesn’t have to be said, but I will, once more, this side was awesome, virtually untouchable. The league title was a mere formality and everyone knew it. Millar, Campbell and Hannah were doing all the damage, the former scoring a hat trick in a 7 v 0 demolition of Darwen.

14 December saw a visit to Blackburn for a benefit match in aid of Herbert Arthur. Over 4,000 spectators witnessed a fine exhibition for Sunderland and the 5 v 0 scoreline was sportingly greeted by the Ewood Park faithful. Christmas Day had seen Sunderland travel to Merseyside, to take on Everton. The 4 v 0 rout could have been worse but for a missed penalty. The New Year had seen our Scots friends visiting. Morton left none the wiser with a 0 v 4 reverse, Glasgow north had an unhappy Hogmanay 1 v 7 and Glasgow Thistle suffered a 0 v 11 hangover. Sunderland then travelled to Newcastle East end, won 6 v 4 and readied themselves for Notts County in the English FA cup. A chance for revenge

Revenge was indeed sweet as Sunderland cruised to a 3 v 0 victory. Unfortunately for the red and whites Notts county complained about the state of the pitch and at an Association hearing the following Wednesday in London, there protests were upheld. A replay it was, and county travelled back up to Sunderland. As if to rub salt into the wounds the men from Nottingham were beaten 4 v 0, on 23 January, embarrassing really....

By now the whole country was talking about Wearside and experts made them favourites to do the double. Added pressure, but to be honest there was no reason why they should achieve this feat, we were awesome. A friendly at Accrington Stanley was organised on 30 January, in readiness for the 2nd round of the FA cup, curiously against the same team, at the same ground. The 2 results were intriguing.

The first game ended 1 v 0 to Accrington and must have really set them up for the cup game. Confidence was sky high. For Sunderland it quite simply didn’t matter, nothing fazed them, and when they turned up the next week, 6 February they simply won 3 v 1. Absolutely no psychological benefit had derived from the friendly game. When the chips were down, Sunderland responded. A mark of a great team. By this time the "A" team were also having a ball, and crushed Sunderland Olympic 6 v 2, before going on to annihilate Whitburn 9 v 1.

The next week was the 3rd round of the cup and again Sunderland had been drawn away. This time at Stoke city. Due to the travelling involved the committee had decided to break the team’s journey in Derby and spent the Friday night at the Clarendon Hotel. As Sheffield United were to be played in the league, on the 15th February, extra men were taken, to supplement the squad, in case of injuries.

The Stoke cup tie ended in a draw, with Millar and Campbell scoring Sunderlands two. The Sheffield game was also drawn 2 v 2. In the replayed cup game at home to the Staffordshire side there would be no mistake. A 4 v 0 rout ensued with the lethal Campbell again on target. Once more Sunderland were in the semi final of the FA cup, this time against Aston Villa. The midlands side would haunt Sunderland in years to come, especially in the FA cup, none more so than 1913, but we shall come to that later.

For this game Sunderland were the overwhelming favourites, although The Villa were a good side. The match at Sheffield was witnessed by 30,000 supporters, and inexplicably Sunderland crashed 1 v 4. The media reported that it was a lack of 2pluck" that really cost Sunderland; we folded after conceding the first goal and were "wretched". What a big disappointment. The double had beckoned, but now lay in tatters. In true Sunderland spirit, of the day, we would bounce back and make someone pay. The unfortunates on this occasion were Bolton Wanderers. Wiped from the map 4 v 1, the red and whites followed this up by a 3rd victory at Accrington, this time 5 v 3.

There were now just 8 league games left, 5 at home. It was looking like a formality, and so it proved. Preston, Derby, Villa and Stoke city were beaten on the trot, before a slight blip, losing at Notts County by a narrow 0 v 1 margin. Then the last 3 crunch games.

If the pressure was showing then it was comprehensively overcome. The basic premise was that one more victory would ensure the championship and the first test was at Ewood Park against Blackburn Rovers. For this game Johnny Campbell again decided to put on a show and smashed in a glorious hat trick, which helped Sunderland towards a 6 v 1 away win. With Preston North end losing to Aston Villa, Sunderland were the champions, and in tremendous style. 2 days afterwards, Sunderland Albion were defeated 6 v 1, in their first meeting for 3 years. It doesn’t need to be said who did most of the damage.

A couple more friendly victories then saw Sunderland take on Darwen in their penultimate league game. Already champions the red and whites put on an exhibition, with a 7 v 1 rout. 2 away friendlies resulted in a 4 v 3 triumph on Merseyside against The toffees, and the return against Sunderland Albion was a "no contest", 8 v 0 the outcome.

Whilst Sunderland were now going from strength to strength, the fortunes of the Albion club were diminishing. After a reasonable first season in the northern League, they ended up 6th in 1891/92. The club folded. Sunderland were now the only club in the town. An 0 v 8 thrashing by Hendon was the final straw for the Albion club and in august 1892 they went into liquidation. It had been a long and tiring season and Sunderland must have been pleased to reach the last game, a 2 v 1 victory at turf Moor, Burnley.

Until Sunderlands election to the Football League Preston North End had been the great powerhouse of English football, making exceptional use of imported talent from north of the border. Aston Villa, runners up to Preston in the 1888/89 season, would join the Wearsiders in dominating English football for the next few years.

It was estimated that by the end of the season Johnny Campbell has scored 75 goals in all matches. One of the mainstays of Sunderlands championship winning side was Hugh Wilson. Sunderland would then proceed to win 3 out of the next 4 championships, and in the season they "failed", ended as runners up.

The secret of Sunderlands success probably lay in the fact that they used only 16 players during the entire campaign. In the following season they would use only 21. In fact Doig, Porteous and Gibson would play in every league match.