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Atkinson hopes his former boss will be beaten
EX-SUNDERLAND manager
Malcolm Crosby goes back to
Wearside today as
Middlesbrough's assistant
manager, but one of his former
players is hoping it will be an
unhappy return for a man who
once guided the Black Cats to
the FA Cup final.
Crosby plucked Brian
Atkinson from Sunderland's
reserves when he was appointed
caretaker manager in December
1991.
Just five months later the
County Durham lad was
marking Liverpool's Ray
Houghton in Sunderland's
fourth FA Cup Final appearance
at Wembley, aged just 21, as
Graeme Souness' side dashed
Wearside hopes with a 2-0 win.
Atkinson will always be
grateful to Crosby for giving him
his first real bite at first team
football when he succeeded
Denis Smith as manager.
But he hopes his former club
can claim their first home win
over Boro since December 2000.
In Crosby's first game in
charge at Sunderland, on New
Year's Day 1991, he played
Atkinson in a win at home to
Barnsley, and then for every
remaining game of that season,
as Sunderland avoided
relegation and reached Wembley.
One of Crosby's Sunderland
highlights was a crucial home
win over Boro in April 1992.
Atkinson played in that game
too, and hopes Sunderland can
get a similar outcome today.
"Sunderland can beat anyone
on their day," said Atkinson.
"I've got a lot of time for Crozza,
I hope we win. I left Sunderland
12 years ago but I love to go back.
I've been to the stadium a few
times since I retired, it's a
fantastic place and with their
supporters they really can beat
anyone at home."
Atkinson is not surprised to
see Crosby, now 53, still at the
top end of the game, adding:
"He's a football man, always
was, and a tremendous coach.
"He was a great manager for
me. I'd pretty much grown up
with him in the youth and
reserve teams so I didn't know
any different. He was easy to get
on with, always laughing and
joking, but always wanted his
team to play the game properly."
Atkinson, now 37, would be
happy to take some coaching
tips from his former boss.
He's currently putting his
playing experience - Atkinson
also played more than 200 games
for Darlington - to use with his
hometown team, Newton
Aycliffe in County Durham, as
they bid to join the Wearside
League this summer, the first
step on the semi-professional
pyramid.
Aycliffe are picking up
trophies for fun in the Durham
Alliance League, with Atkinson
their player-coach.
"Aycliffe hasn't had a team at a
competitive, non-league level for
more than 20 years," said
Atkinson.
"We're trying to achieve that
and the first step is the Wearside
League. The foundations are in
place. We've been granted
£250,000 from our council to
redevelop the ground and we
know we have the players to
compete at that level."
9:44am Saturday 26th April 2008
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