Sunderland’s greatest day, bar one

The Northern Echo’s headline writer became duly carried away, talking of “Forces completely smashed and routed” and of “amazing defeat.”

Another headline may have summed it up in two words.

“Sunderland great.”

Our man in the press box supposed that there had never been a greater sensation in the history of football in Sunderland, and a century later there may still only have been one.

Newcastle went into the game in second place in the first division, and had never been lower that season. The old enemy were fourth.

Harry Walker, the Echo’s football correspondent – who was also Northern League president, chairman of the FA’s international committee and still found time to turn it on for the Stockton and Middlesbrough Water Board – hadn’t seen the tidal wave coming up the Tyne.

“All form and suggestion of form is at a defiance,” he wrote in his Saturday preview. “The result is unusually problematical.”

Beneath a splendid graphic of baying crowd and lone policeman, the same day’s paper carried a large advertisement for Newton’s in Westgate Road, Newcastle, urging readers to see and hear the Edison Gem Phonograph – or better, to buy it for two guineas.

They could also buy the Newtonophone, thus – it was said – enabling them to listen to Harry Lauder and Billy Williams like those vaunted Vaudevillians were standing at their own fireside.

Match day dawned overcast but failed (said our man in the press box) to prevent the gathering of a huge concourse. “The rain falling ever and anon could not cool the ardour of the enthusiasts,” he added.

Though Billy Hogg soon put Sunderland ahead, a “doubtful” penalty – half the crowd, then as now, supposing the referee in urgent need of optometry – brought the Magpies level before half-time.

Expectations of a similarly close second half soon foundered, to the dismay of one half and the delirium of the other.

Billy Hogg completed a hattrick, as did George Holley – a Seaham lad described in one of the Sunderland histories as “a ball artist of the first rank.”

Arthur Bridgett, a Methodist local preacher who refused to play on Christmas Day or Good Friday, hit two in three minutes to leave Newcastle truly on their knees. Jackie Mordue, like the other three an England international – Holley scored eight in 10 games – got the ninth.

Mordue, from Edmondsley near Sacriston, is also counted – probably on the fingers of one hand – one of the world’s leading Fives or handball players, usually alongside his brother Michael. That must be another story.

“As an example of out and out rout it would be hard to beat,” wrote the Echo’s anonymous observer. “One and all the Sunderland players were admirable, and just as certainly the Novocastrians one and all hopeless.

“They were hopelessly, irretrievably defeated and not only defeated, but whipped as well.”

The result remains Sunderland’s biggest away win and, jointly, the biggest in the top tier of English football.

Elsewhere that dark December Saturday, West Stanley lost 4-1 at Watford and Stockton 1-0 at Lincoln City in the last qualifying round of the English Cup, York City lost 7-2 at South Bank in the Northern League and Newcastle Untied Reserves, fielding four internationals, won 4-1 at Darlington.

Considering the events 35 miles to the north, said our reporter, they were unlikely to be in the reserves much longer.

On the news pages, there’d been a “great sensation” at Witton Park over a boy’s accidental shooting of his 12- year-old sister, Newcastle’s citizens were complaining about noisy burglar alarms – though it may not have been all that kept them awake – and a poor chap was killed in the crush to catch the last train from Durham to Waterhouses.

It may be of considerable comfort to United fans to know they went on to win the championship by seven points from Everton and by nine from Sunderland, in third place. They also reached the semi-final of the Cup, beaten by Manchester United.

Reports of that game 100 years ago today still fail to appear in the “Matches to remember” section of any of Paul Joannou’s excellent Newcastle histories – but for the red and whites, December 5, 1908 was to prove eternally unforgettable.

Whitley Bay warrior Wright dies at 65

BIG Billy Wright, who died this week, was Whitley Bay FC’s alltime leading goal scorer – 307 in 445 games – and one of the most combative men in the Northern League.

In the 1960s hard-nut stakes, his closest rival was probably the late Doug Raine, the council binman who became equally legendary up at Stanley United.

What happened when immovable force met irresistible object is recalled by BBC Radio Newcastle men Barry Hindson and Paul Dixon in their 2001 book We Just Love Football, Whitley Bay visitors to the hill top.

“Doug punched Billy in the back as the teams were leaving the field at the end of the game and then, realising the error of his ways, he ran to the dressing room, locked himself in and stood shaking in trepidation while Billy and his team-mates tried to open the door.”

Neil Walton, a Whitley Bay team-mate, confirms the conflagration. “There wasn’t much scared Duggie Raine, but he really took off with Billy close behind him. I think Billy thought he’d overstepped the mark.

“Fortunately he calmed down a bit and was persuaded not to break down the door.”

Neil – now in Fir Tree, near Crook – recalls a “warrior”

player and a lovely man. Billy, who was 65, became a referee and a senior member of Northumberland FA. “He’d do anything,” says Neil, “so long as it involved football.”

A Century of Poolies with one minute of Mickey

MICKEY Dunwell, born in Stockton-on-Tees on January 6, 1980 and familiar enough around the Northern League, may nonetheless be surprised to find his name kicking around today’s column.

His moment of fame, and moment is all that it proved, came on May 8, 1999, when he was an 89th minute substitute for Hartlepool United at Southend.

Though it was his first and last appearance in a first team shirt – the club maybe thought they’d seen enough – it has secured his inclusion in A Century of Poolies, a new biographical A-Z of Pools’ players since 1908.

Meticulously and minutely, the 270-page book has been compiled by Colin Foster, a 39-year-old call centre manager in the town. Though one or two are described as “mystery men”, there’s no danger of Mr Foster dropping a Poolie.

Search engines have sedulously been stoked, Internet tight-trawled, contacts colonised. It’s overwhelmed three-and-a-half years of his life; the result’s remarkable.

Take, for example, the capital A. Tewfik Abdallah – known it’s said, as Toothpick – was an Egyptian who scored once in 22 Hartlepool appearances in 1924-25.

Colin has not only traced his life story, discovered that back home he sometimes played barefoot and that he twice represented his country in the Olympics, but followed his subsequent career through Providence Clamdiggers to Fall River Marksmen and goodness knows where else.

There’s even a faded photograph. “A doctor in Egypt gave me it,” he says, as casually as if he’d been given a cough bottle.

A Hartlepool fan since being taken under paternal wing when he was seven – “it was Colchester, but I couldn’t even tell you the score” – he admits that the second game, two weeks later against Bradford, left a more lasting impression.

“This skinhead kicked my Bovril out of my hand. I was devastated,” he says.

Like the Bovril, the love affair continued hot and cold.

“There were times when Viv Busby was manager or Garry Gibson was chairman when it was no great hardship not to go,” says Colin.

Neither the nomadic Busby nor the gargantuan Gibson played for Pools in any formal game. There’s a paragraph on Garry Gibbon, though, aged 17 when in 1977 he made his only first team appearance, in a friendly against the Army at Catterick.

Colin had earlier complied potted biographies of Pools players from 1908-21, before they joined the Football League.

“I think the renewed interest came when I was looking for some Christmas decorations in the attic and found some notes I’d made on players, the sort of thing you do when you’re a kid,” he says. “It just got me going again.”

Among more familiar former players is Big Bob Newton – but how many remember that he took part in a charity cycle ride to Russia? – Spurs manager Bill Nicholson, a wartime guest, and Andy Linighan, local lad made good.

Linighan may best be remembered for his lastminute FA Cup final winner for Arsenal against Sheffield Wednesday – said to have gone in off his nose – and for the broad Hartlepudlian interview thereafter.

“I’ll never pick my nose again,” he said.

There, too, is Bishop Auckland lad Keith Nobbs, said to have been “far from deadly in front of goal.” Keith was a full back. Since he scored once in 341 appearances, and may dream about it to this day, he might be inclined to agree.

Job done, bookshelves stocked for Christmas, the call centre man reckons he’ll now become incommunicado.

“It just takes over your life. I was coming home, having my tea, and then on the computer until one o’clock in the morning.

“At times my wife was very patient and understanding.

Someone else can bat for the next century”

■ A Century of Poolies is available from Hartlepool United FC, the Hartlepool Mail or through colalifoster@ntlworld.com

STILL with the Poolies, Tuesday’s column again noted the scepticism – on this occasion in The Times – about the American rock musician Meat Loaf’s Victoria Park allegiance.

Ian Wilkinson, who just happened to bump into the guy at the Hootie and the Blowfish charity golf tournament in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, offers a dissenting view.

“After we were introduced, he spotted our accent and asked if we lived near Hartlepool. He then related the monkey story in great detail to a fast-growing group of Americans.

“He was fully aware of how the team was doing, so he must be much more than just a casual supporter.”

Ian, a teacher and tennis coach from Darlington, adds that the 61-year-old singer was both friendly and amusing – until a television camera closed in. “His personality changed in a moment.”

And finally...

TUESDAY’S column sought to fill the gap in the sequence “Sunderland 1979, ….1980, Villa 1981.”

The answer, of course, was Brooking – the man who scored the winning goal, second division West Ham v Arsenal, in the FA Cup final that year.

Since then, says Neil Mackay in Lanchester, only four teams from the second tier have reached the final – and invites readers to name them.

Second chance, the column returns on Tuesday.