We all know that there’s never a dull year when it comes to following the Lads, but 1991–92 was about as ridiculous as it gets.
We ended the previous season as gallant heroes who almost defied the odds to stay in the First Division, and fans and players bonded in an emotional finale at Maine Road. It was a ride that Denis Smith had orchestrated, having taken us from Division Three to the top flight in three seasons, while beating the visitors in the play-offs to get there.
Smith had built the meteoric rise on team spirit and the enthusiasm of youth, which would only last so long. At no point during the rise through the leagues was he able to really strengthen, and the names of the players he lifted from the youth system would roll off the tongue – Brian Atkinson, Gary Owers, Kieron Brady, David Rush, Warren Hawke, Paul Williams, Richard Ord, and there’s probably a couple I’ve missed.
Having said that, the summer of 1991 was loaded with expectation that Sunderland would challenge for promotion back to Division One at the first time of asking, and the timing couldn’t have been more important with the introduction of the Premier League just around the corner. With this in mind, you might be surprised to hear that not one new signing arrived at Roker that summer.
A respectable draw at home to Derby County – the other side that dropped down with us the previous year – on the opening day of the season at Roker was followed up by a 3–0 win at Barnsley, so far, so good. Two wins in the next five got people a little twitchy, especially the manager. The conclusion he reached was to sell Marco Gabbiadini to Crystal Palace for £1.8m in order to strengthen his squad properly.
11 May 1991, Manchester - Manchester City v Sunderland - Football League Division One - a tearful looking Dennis Smith, manager of Sunderland after relegation. (Photo by Mark Leech/Offside via Getty Images)
11 May 1991, Manchester - Manchester City v Sunderland - Football League Division One - a tearful looking Dennis Smith, manager of Sunderland after relegation. (Photo by Mark Leech/Offside via Getty Images)
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In came Don Goodman from West Brom for a club record fee, John Byrne followed and Anton Rogan signed from Celtic. The gamble wasn’t to pay off, and after dropping to 17th in the table after a 3–0 defeat at Oxford United on 28 December, Denis Smith was sacked.
Malcolm Crosby stepped into the caretaker role and won five out of his first six games, which included two FA Cup ties against Port Vale and Oxford to take Sunderland through to the last sixteen. We then upset the odds when we knocked out West Ham United from the top flight in a replay at their place and the draw pitted us against Chelsea in the quarter-final.
On the pitch, this was a Chelsea team full of big names like Vinny Jones, Andy Townsend, Dennis Wise, Clive Allen, Kerry Dixon, Tony Cascarino, Paul Elliott and erm… Gareth Hall, but off the pitch was where the added spice was provided. Not only was Sunderland’s FA Cup goalscoring hero Ian Porterfield the manager at Chelsea, but as his chief scout, he had employed his manager on that day in 1973, Bob Stokoe.
Preparation was good ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge as the Lads beat Wolves 1–0 at Roker, and then because the game was moved to the Monday night for Sky to cover the game, the players had a bit of an extra break in the lead up.
Now I say that in an age where we shrug our shoulders at that sort of statement, but this was pre-Premier League, and Sky Sports were just warming up to become the main players in football coverage in this country – and young’uns reading this will have to believe me that this was a big thing.
22 April 1989 - Football League Division Two - Chelsea v Leeds United - Chelsea coach Ian Porterfield - (Photo by Mark Leech/Offside/Getty Images).
22 April 1989 - Football League Division Two - Chelsea v Leeds United - Chelsea coach Ian Porterfield - (Photo by Mark Leech/Offside/Getty Images).
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In the days leading up to the game, the plot thickened in terms of the Sunderland hot seat. Denis Smith had apparently edged out Terry Butcher in the race to become the new manager of Bristol City, and he made it clear that he wanted Crosby to join him as his number two.
After speaking to him on Haway The Podcast (which you can listen to below), we now know he was set to make that move and Neil Warnock was waiting for the right moment to take charge, which would be when the FA Cup dream ended. According to the Sunday Sun the day before the game, the other two favourites for the job were Leicester City’s Brian Little and Bryan Robson who was waiting for his first managerial post.
Sunderland were of course without the services of record signing Don Goodman because he was cup-tied, but it probably wouldn’t have made a difference in the early stages as the First Division side dominated. This was only broken up by the realisation that Gary Bennett and Rogan were both wearing a number four shirt and had to change.
Allen and Wise failed to convert chances which left home fans frustrated that they couldn’t take advantage, but then just after the half hour, the officials gave them a hand.
Kerry Dixon got a shot off in the 36th minute that went wide. That should have been the end of that. But referee Terry Holbrook decided to award a corner. Paul Hardyman, who it had been adjudged to have deflected off, was booked as he protested. No Chelsea player asked for the corner, and everyone in the ground was confused as to how he came to that conclusion – including everyone involved with the Sky coverage.
It was then inevitable that the corner was headed back across goal by Paul Elliott, which led to Hardyman clearing a shot off the line, which went as far as Allen, who put Chelsea ahead.
Sunderland responded brilliantly and were unlucky not to be level before the break, and even after the break the Lads took the initiative to Chelsea. Bennett, who had been rushed back for this fixture after a few weeks out, had to come off injured to be replaced by Ian Sampson and Crosby gambled when he brought on Brady for Atkinson.
The later the clock ticked, the more it turned into a ding-dong cup-tie where either side could change the outlook and on 82 minutes, it did.
Paul Bracewell, who was fantastic in the middle of the park once again for Sunderland as captain, hit a perfect ball over the top for John Byrne to run on to and meet perfectly with his head to steer past Hitchcock into the far corner.
Ten minutes later, an epic quarter-final at Roker Park had been set up.
Monday 9th March, 1992
FA Cup - Quarter-Final
Chelsea 1-1 Sunderland
[Allen 36’ - Byrne 82’]
Stamford Bridge
Sunderland: Norman, Kay, Bennett (Sampson), Rogan, Hardyman, Rush, Bracewell, Atkinson (Brady), Armstrong, Davenport, Byrne
Chelsea: Hitchcock, Hall, Myers, Wilson, Elliott, Cundy, Stuart, Townsend, Dixon, Allen, Wise. Substitute not used: Le Saux, Cascarino
Attendance: 10,063