The latest Sunderland news, via Joseph Ould.
Sunderland take on Newcastle United this weekend looking to celebrate their return to the Premier League by completing a Tyne-Wear derby double over their arch-rivals.
The Black Cats are unbeaten in their last five visits to St James’ Park, with three wins and two draws in a run which stretches back to 2012. Sunderland are likely to wear their 1990-inspired blue away strip on Sunday which will evoke memories of their famous second tier play-off semi-final second leg victory over the Magpies on Tyneside that year, when goals from Eric Gates and Marco Gabbiadini secured a 2-0 aggregate win to send the Lads to Wembley.
And even though Sunderland lost against Swindon Town beneath the Twin Towers, they were not to be denied as the Robins were found guilty of financial irregularities and forfeited their place in the top flight as a result, with Denis Smith’s defeated finalists promoted instead.
But where are Sunderland’s 1990 St James’ Park heroes now?
Tony Norman
Signed from Hull City in a then-record deal, goalkeeper Norman made 227 appearances for Sunderland including two at Wembley, with the play-off final followed two years later by the FA Cup final against Liverpool. After leaving Wearside in 1995, the five-times-capped Wales international joined Huddersfield and spent two years in West Yorkshire before retiring.
He later became a police officer in Durham and worked as a goalkeeping coach at Darlington 1883, Gateshead, and Blyth Spartans.
John Kay
Sunderland-born full-back Kay came through the ranks at Arsenal and then moved on to Wimbledon and spent a brief spell on loan at Middlesbrough before eventually returning to Wearside in 1987 following relegation to the Third Division. He was an ever-present as the club won promotion at the first attempt and went on to become a cult hero at Roker Park, earning the nickname ‘The Tractor’ in 1990 after a challenge on Leeds defender Peter Haddock that left Elland Road boss Howard Wilkinson complaining that his player’s leg looked like it had been ‘run over by a tractor’.
Kay made 239 appearances before leaving Sunderland in 1996 and he later played for Preston, Scarborough, and Workington. Post-football he went on to work for Derwentside Council on a project that helped people with drug addictions cope with everyday life.
Reuben Agboola
London-born defender Agboola joined Sunderland in 1985 from Southampton, and became the Black Cats’ first international with an African country as he twice represented Nigeria during his time on Wearside. He made 170 appearances for Sunderland, and helped the club rise from the Third Division to the First, before leaving for Swansea City in 1991, after which he played for Woking and Gosport Borough.
After his playing days were done, Agboola ran bars in Southampton and Majorca, and he is now an ambassador for a car sales company in Eastleigh.
Paul Bracewell
Sunderland’s play-off derby win came during the second of Bracewell’s three playing stints on Wearside, with those spells totalling 270 appearances and returning six goals.
He joined Sunderland the first time around from Stoke City in 1983 and left for Everton in 1984, he rejoined from Everton in 1989 and moved on to Newcastle in 1992, crossed the Tyne-Wear divide once more in 1995 to become player-assistant manager under Peter Reid and then headed south to join Fulham in 1997.
England international Brace had spells in charge of Fulham and Halifax Town, and later returned to Sunderland for a fourth time in 2013 when he was appointed development coach and he later coached at first team level under Dick Advocaat and was assistant manager under Sam Allardyce. Bracewell was most recently an elite development coach at Tottenham Hotspur’s academy but left that role last year.
Gary Bennett
A true club icon, Bennett spent 11 years at Sunderland and made 443 appearances - a total which sees him rank number five on the club’s list of all-time appearance makers - and captained the side, with the defender scoring 25 goals along the way. Benno arrived on Wearside, via Manchester City and Cardiff City, in 1984 and left to join Carlisle United in 1995. He later went on to play for Scarborough and Darlington, and had a spell managing the latter.
Benno has a leading role in the Show Racism the Red Card campaign and was awarded an MBE in the 2022 New Year’s Honours List for his work combatting racism. He now works as match summariser covering Sunderland games for BBC Radio Newcastle.
John MacPhail
MacPhail joined Sunderland from Bristol City in 1987, linking up again with boss Denis Smith who had been his manager at York City.
The former Dundee and Sheffield United defender captained the Black Cats as they won the Third Division title and again when they were promoted to the top flight in 1990. He joined Hartlepool United in 1990 following a loan spell, and he later spent 10 months in charge of the club as player-manager. In 2021, MacPhail suffered life-changing injuries in a fall down the stairs at his home and he continues to receive care for a brain injury.
Gary Owers
Midfielder Owers came through the ranks at Sunderland and went on to make 320 appearances, and score 27 goals, between 1987 and 1994. He left to join Bristol City, and went on to have spells at clubs including Notts County, Forest Green Rovers - later becoming their first ever full-time manager - and Bath City.
Since hanging up his boots, Owers has had a wide variety of roles in coaching, scouting, and football development at clubs including Portsmouth, Leyton Orient, Bristol City, Plymouth Argyle, Gillingham, Partick Thistle, Motherwell, Gateshead, and Torquay United. Owers is now head of player development at the National League, and is a match summariser on BBC Radio Bristol covering Bristol City.
Gordon Armstrong
Boyhood Sunderland fan Armstrong came through the youth system on Wearside and made 416 appearances over 11 years with the club, scoring 61 goals.
Without doubt, the most fabled goal of his Sunderland career was the last-minute bullet header he scored at Roker Park in an FA Cup quarter-final replay against Chelsea, which proved the winner and edged the club a step closer to Wembley in 1992 when they ended up losing finalists. Armstrong left to join Bury in 1996 and also went on to spend time at Burnley and Accrington Stanley. He went on to become a scout and then an agent.
Eric Gates
The scorer of Sunderland’s first goal in the play-off semi-final at St James’ Park, Gates joined Sunderland in 1985 from Ipswich Town where he had helped the Tractor Boys win the UEFA Cup.
The striker ended up with 55 goals in his 220 appearances for the Black Cats, with that goal on Tyneside proving his final strike for the club before he moved on to Carlisle United in the summer of 1990. Gates went on to work in broadcasting on Metro and Century radio stations’ nightly ‘Three Legends’ football phone-in show in the 2000s.
Marco Gabbiadini
Gabbiadini was a firm fan favourite during his four years on Wearside, scoring 87 goals in 185 appearances - including his strike in the play-off against the Magpies. Gabbers arrived on Wearside from York City in 1987 and left to join Crystal Palace in 1991, before later playing for clubs including Derby County, Darlington, Northampton Town, and Hartlepool United.
He went on to run a sports management company, run a hotel in York, and is still a regular pundit on BBC Radio Newcastle’s Total Sport show.
Warren Hawke
Homegrown forward Hawke only played 29 times for Sunderland, and scored one goal, but spent loan spells with Chesterfield, Carlisle United, and Northampton Town. He left Wearside in 1993 and went on to play for Raith Rovers, Scarborough, Berwick Rangers, Greenock Morton, and Queen of the South.
He later joined the board at Morton and in 2017 became chief executive, serving until 2019. He has also served as the Scottish Championship’s director at the Scottish Professional Football League. Hawke now has his own sports consultancy business.
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