Neighbour of mine… Arsenal supporter… his Dad took him to Highbury in 1960. He has no clue about us, so I had a look at 60/61 season, when he first went. Of course, Spurs were dominant, Arsenal finished 11th that season….. but, their two biggest crowds were against Spurs home and away….. no surprise there!…..they played Man U, City, Villa etc, etc,…. but, the third biggest crowd was in the third round of the cup against us…we won 2-1 in front of 58000+ at Roker….. and we were a 2nd div side! The point is, we are a fantastic club,have a fantastic heritage, even if some forget!! Never forget what a great club we are, and always will be!!
I was one of those 58,000, what a game, second only to the Spurs game in that era, those two cup games had Roker roaring and a rocking, and Arsenal and Spurs a'reeling, bit of Charles Edward Berry in there. .
Anderson Hurley McNab roles off the tongue, some combination back in the day, young Dan Neil reminds me of Stan, not really sure why , but he does.
I have no recollection of this game, largely due to the fact that my parents were aged 6 at the time and hadn't met. However, I do know that SAFC are ****ing class.
That 60s team has stuck in my mind too, Montgomery, Irwin, Ashurst. Harvey Hurley McNab. Usher, Herd, Sharkey, Crossan and Mulhall. I couldn't name a full team for any other period in my 60+ years following the lads, 73 Cup final excepted if course. Was it rose coloured specks back then or are our younger memories more vivid?
In my case I think it's because I was in awe of them.Before a match once, I remember Charlie Hurley and his wife pulling up in the car park outside the main entrance at Roker.....I was probably about 10 or 11. As they got out the car,I remember thinking in total adulation that here was the King,in the flesh!
When Brown signed Hooper and then Clough and put them more or less into that team, I was on cloud nine . As you say only 1973 equaled those years, and we were a Second Division team, but only in name, our underachievement is unequaled in sporting history.