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1981/1982 saw an ultimately-successful relegation battle for Sunderland, thanks in part to the efforts of Colin West — the Lads’ precocious young forward who was proving himself ready for the big time.
With the club’s future looking bleak, West had infamously approached manager Alan Durban and assured him he was the man to get the goals the Lads desperately needed.
Having given West his senior debut earlier in the campaign, the boss agreed that now was the time for the Wallsend prospect to get an extended run in the starting eleven, and he didn’t have to wait long for the decision to pay off. A winless run of four games had just put the team bottom of the Division One standings, but West’s maiden career strike against high-flying Ipswich Town brought a morale-boosting point, and things suddenly took an upturn.
Colin West, Sunderland (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)
Colin West, Sunderland (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)
PA Images via Getty Images
Next up came a vital win at Stoke City, meaning the Easter Monday arrival of Birmingham City now took on a new significance.
The visitors were also struggling at the wrong end of the table and with Sunderland’s confidence growing, the match became one of the Lads’ first ever ‘six-pointers’ following the introduction of three points for a win at the start of the season.
West provided additional strength and presence to Sunderland’s attack, with set pieces becoming a major tool for Durban. He encouraged big men Jeff Clarke and Joe Hinnigan to come up from the back to further bolster the ranks whenever the team was given the chance to pump a dead ball into the area against Brum, and a first half bombardment overpowered Ron Saunders’ outfit.
The away team actually forced a string of corners themselves in the first few minutes before finding themselves being trapped inside their final third, and a foul on Stan Cummins led to their demise, with the resulting free kick being curled in by Mick Buckley and headed onto the bar by Clarke.
Nick Pickering appeared as if he was able to force rebound over the line, but West — showing the determination he’d already exhibited when seeking out Durban and putting forward his case for a start — made absolutely sure with a brave header.
Now in control and all of a sudden playing as if relegation was the furthest thing from their minds, Sunderland opted to try and tie things up before half time.
It felt as if another goal would kill off any sort of hope for a flat-looking Birmingham, who’d lost their last four, and in added time before the break West’s second from another header did just that. Buckley was on call again and put in another quality ball, and his right-wing corner was met perfectly by West to power beyond both goalkeeper Jeff Wealands and defender Pat Van Den Hauwe on the line.
Sunderland could afford for the second half to be more staid although they did look to put the gloss on things in the final moments.
West was denied a hat trick when Geoff Scott blocked a goalbound effort and late substitute Loek Ursem, a recent arrival on loan, came close to converting a flick-on from the man of the moment, yet 2-0 was good enough to lift the club from bottom spot.
Colin West gets things rolling…
Colin West gets things rolling…
Within five days of his reintroduction, West had helped cultivate the Black Cats’ longest unbeaten run in the league of the season so far — and he wasn’t done yet.
Unsurprisingly, he retained his place for the upcoming trip to Tottenham Hotspur and again provided the focal point for another big effort. More strong performances followed thereafter, plus another three goals, as thankfully his intervention proved to be the boost needed to get the squad firing.
Monday 12 April 1982
Football League Division One
Roker Park
Attendance: 14,821
Sunderland 3 (West 29’, 45’)
Birmingham City 0
Sunderland: Turner, Hinnigan, Munro; Clarke, Cooke, Elliott; Buckley, West, Rowell (Ursem 86’); Pickering, Cummins