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Can one freezing afternoon change your life forever? For me, one trip to the Stadium of Light sparked a lifelong obsession with Sunderland AFC and memories that still mean everything.
I was about six and a half when I first visited the Stadium of Light - a bitterly cold day on 12 January 2013. The mist from the restless North Sea rolled across Wearside early that morning. I had been waiting for this day for ages, and it was finally here.
The cold bit at my fingertips on the way to the ground. My granda and I walked across Wearmouth Bridge with thousands of other Mackems. It was loud, it stank of smoke, and it was absolutely freezing - a proper matchday experience.
We took our seats in the East Stand, Row 11, although the seat numbers evade me. I don’t remember much about how we played, but I do have a vivid memory of Stéphane Sessègnon running from the halfway line and almost scoring. The noise just ramped up with every yard he got closer to the goalmouth.
I know we won 3 - 0, but I only remember Seb Larsson scoring after around the first ten minutes and getting the shock of my life when all these grown men started going ballistic and I was lifted off my feet. My granda was smiling from ear to ear, and it’s a look I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - JANUARY 12: Sunderland player Sebastian Larsson celebrates after scoring the first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Sunderland and West Ham at Stadium of Light on January 12, 2013 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - JANUARY 12: Sunderland player Sebastian Larsson celebrates after scoring the first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Sunderland and West Ham at Stadium of Light on January 12, 2013 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
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I can remember the strong smell of pies and beer, with people queuing in their thousands in the concourse to get some food or a pint, all while singing and chanting. The warmth in the concourse made me forget about the freezing cold outside in the stands.
I also remember an older gentleman sitting to my left, with my granda on my right. The gentleman asked if I was enjoying the match.
“It’s my first ever one,” I said with a massive grin.
“Well, son, ya in for life now,” he replied.
I didn’t really know what that meant at the time, but now, 13 years on, I know exactly what he meant.
At full-time, the noise was palpable. The weather didn’t matter - all that mattered was around 40,000 of my fellow Mackems going mental at the fact we’d just beaten West Ham.
Once again, I was lifted off my feet by my granda, who put me on his shoulders to celebrate. I felt so tall and proud in that moment, with the Lads on the pitch celebrating with the supporters.
On the journey home, he and I talked about the match and the club in general.
The Metro was heaving from St Peter’s to Pallion, and he took me on a journey through both his history and the club’s - from his first match at Roker Park in the 1960s, to Bobby Kerr and the 1973 FA Cup-winning side, Gary Rowell and his hat-trick against the Mags (or “the barcodes”, as he called them), then the Peter Reid era, Kevin Phillips’ European Golden Shoe, and our divisional titles.
I was awestruck by everything the club had achieved. That day made me a diehard Sunderland supporter until the day I leave this earth, and even then, I’ll still be a Mackem.
I’d watched Sunderland on the telly for as long as I could remember. I was born during Roy Keane’s tenure, so I grew up with us being a decent Premier League side. But to actually be there in person, to experience the noise and to see the Lads first-hand was something I’ll never, ever forget.
My granda and I are still watching the Lads together in 2026, and we’ve seen so many historic moments. We’ve celebrated two promotions, a trophy win, a derby double and qualification for Europe - the latter being something neither of us ever thought we’d see.
The fact that we now get to watch our club compete in Europe together is something I don’t take for granted, and it’s a privilege to share those moments with the man who first took me to the Stadium of Light.