Sunderland AFC 1986/87

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To be brutally honest this season and its eventual outcome had been coming ever since 1958. It was in reality the worst ever season for Sunderland AFC. That it ended in relegation was bad enough, that it saw us into the "3rd division" was just too hard too take.

When Lawrie McMenemy took over on 11 July 1985 the Wearside fans greeted him as the new Messiah, the man to take us back to the Promised Land. In fact the former Coldstream guardsman promised that he would take us out of the second division. We didn’t know however that it would be down, not up.

If the previous season had been poor then this was a disaster. It started in turmoil. Tom Cowie, who had endured a love/hate relationship with the Roker fans resigned and Bob Murray stepped up into the Wearside "hot seat". It would be a baptism of fire for him.

The League Cup saw York city dump us out at the first hurdle, on away goals. Ironic if you read on. The FA Cup and Wimbledon saw us off at their place in the 3rd round. The Full Members Cup and Bradford city defeated us 2 v 3 at Odsal stadium. But the season had nothing to do with cup competitions. It was all about the league. It was all about tears and what might have beens.

The season never really got going at all and even though we started brightly enough, a 2 v 0 away victory at Leeds Road and a 1 v 1 home draw with Brighton. The next game should have told us what was in store. We travelled to Ewood Park and got thrashed 1 v 6. It was a wicked game.

We then had a mini revival and actually reached 5th place. Victories over Hull, Stoke, Plymouth and Birmingham giving us false hope that promotion might be on the cards. No chance. From here on in, it was just appalling. November and December brought one win in 10 games and we were slipping into the abyss.

4 victories out of the next 7 games saw the "Sunderland roller coaster" in full swing. 17 March is where it all started to go wrong again. This time there would be no more revivals. We travelled to Stoke city, lost 0 v 3, the first defeat in a run of 5 in 6 games. By 11 April and the Sheffield United loss at Roker Park only 8,544 hardy souls were left. The club was in deep trouble. Something had to be done. Something was done, Big Lawrie left.

His record was poor. In 77 games we won only 23 times and accumulated only 88 points out of a possible 231. Considering the level we were playing at, and taking into account the points we would gain the next season this was truly depressing.

Bob Stokoe returned. We thought he had 7 games to save us, little did we know that this would turn into 9. His first game back in charge was at Valley Parade, Bradford on 18 April. To see THE Messiah walk back out, 10 years older, hopefully wiser was an emotional experience. We were asking for the earth, but if anyone could do it, it was bob. We wished him well and watched.

Even though we scored twice we lost in Yorkshire by the odd goal in 5. Time and games were ticking away, we needed a victory. Against Leeds United at Roker Park we had to settle for a draw. Then we went to Shrewsbury and came back with a narrow victory. Bradford travelled to Wearside and defeated us, again by the 2 v 3 scoreline. We had 3 games left in May to save our skins.

2 May and a victory over Crystal Palace. 5 May and a trip to south London and Millwall. We drew 1 v 1 which was a good result. Ninth of May, last game of the season, at home to Barnsley. We had to win. We lost 2 v 3.

It was now confirmed, Sunderland would compete against Gillingham in the play offs for the right to compete in the final eliminators that would decide our fate.

In front of 13,804 at Priestfield Stadium, Mark Proctor scored twice but we amazingly lost 2 v 3. A certain Cascarino doing the damage with a hat trick. Seventeenth of May 1987, and the second leg at Roker Park. What a game.

In front of 25,470 fans Gillingham took the lead within the first 5 minutes. England international Eric Gates then scored twice, things were on the up. A Sunderland penalty after half an hour was missed. A Gillingham penalty, things were bleak, Hesford saved, the rebound was slotted home.

A this stage Sunderland were staring relegation in the face, and then something that will remain in our minds forever. With only 2 minutes remaining, Sunderland attacking the Fulwell end scored, with a Gary Bennett looping header. The ground went crazy, and the hands pointed swan like to the sky acclaiming a chance at survival. From there, we thought we'd go on to win. We wouldn’t.

Cascarino, a thorn in Sunderlands side throughout the 2 games gave Gillingham the edge with a vital away goal, and even a 4rth from Keith Bertschin couldn’t save the day. We needed a 5th, didn’t get it and we were down, and how the tears flowed. It ended 6 v 6 on aggregate.

That we should be relegated on the away goals rule was kind of typical. It summed Sunderlands bad fortune up. When we needed lady luck to give us the edge, she failed us. Sunderlands demise was now complete. For a club like us to be plying our trade in what is a marginalised division was embarrassing and everyone knew it.

The club had to bounce straight back.