On the evening of Saturday 5 May 1973, BBC 2 broadcast the first episode of highly-acclaimed series ‘The Ascent of Man.’
Tracing the development of human society, the inaugural episode is unlikely to have attracted many viewers on Wearside where the indigenous population were, to use regional vernacular, joyously acclaiming ‘The ascent of Sunderland, man‘ – the local team having that afternoon pulled off the most extraordinary FA Cup Final victory of the post-war era, perhaps in living memory.
To become the first team from outside Division One to lift the trophy since West Bromwich Albion in 1931, Sunderland had overcome Leeds United, player-for-player the best team in the country and during the past six or seven seasons the most consistently successful.
The rise, ascent if you like, of a second division side on their uppers when a new manager took charge just five months before, the most remarkable football story in a generation.
Even now fifty years later, the events culminating with an astonishing afternoon at Wembley still seem hard to fathom. ‘Porterfield, 1-0‘ and Monty being miraculous may be long engrained into our collective consciousness, but have lost little of their lustre through the passage of time. Indeed, as decades pass and the cup final, the FA Cup in general for that matter, loses more and and more of its prestige, these instances of footballing drama take on even greater resonance.
Conveying the logic-defying enormity attached to Sunderland winning the FA Cup to football followers of a younger vintage is a huge task, as no sooner are you relaying events than doubts begin in regard to the plausibility of it all, despite knowing it to be true.
Elsewhere on this blog-site are articles where football history, mainly from the 1970s, is changed and presented with a different outcome – think say ‘Get Carter‘ (1971) with an alternative ending. The fanciful nature of such pieces imagine what might have unfolded in a parallel football universe – no such quantum leap too outlandish on the basis of the FA Cup going to Wearside come end of the 1972-73 season.
The incredible upsurge in the fortunes of Sunderland began from virtually the late-November day in 1972 when Stokoe took the reins. Forty three years old and a native of the North East, as a player he won an FA Cup winners medal with Newcastle in 1955, Sunderland his sixth managerial role in eleven years. The last before heading to Roker Park had been at being fellow second division club Blackpool, who were much higher up the table, Stokoe taking over an underachieving fourth bottom outfit with only four wins all season.
In thirty matches that ensued before meeting Leeds in the FA Cup Final, Sunderland lost just five and while the improvement came too late for a promotion bid to materialise, the concurrent FA Cup run had seen them account for Manchester City (fifth round) and Arsenal (semi-final) – each of whom had been league champions and FA Cup winners in the past five seasons.
Such performances had generated widespread goodwill toward the club, prompted by the genial nature of a manager, now being described in messianic terms by their supporters and for the positive style of play he had instilled in the team.
Even so, few gave them any chance of upsetting the odds given the harsh reality of the task in front of them. In opposition were not only the FA Cup holders, but a side boasting high calibre footballers who came with a truculent edge, presenting a physical challenge like no other in the game.
During the twelve year tenure of manager Don Revie Leeds had won every major domestic honour and twice taken the European Fairs Cup to Elland Road, a number of near misses reducing a trophy haul that might have been even bigger. But good wishes from the wider football public in wanting an unlikely Sunderland victory went deeper than traditional support for the underdog, admiration for Leeds achievements under Revie tempered by distaste at the cynical shade in their make-up – not that such antipathy gave them cause for sleepless nights when the clear aim was to win prizes not platitudes.
On defeating Wolves in the semi-final four weeks before, Leeds were shaping up for a three-way assault on silverware as the season drew to a close. An FA Cup Final place secured, they were still in pursuit of the league title – which had eluded them by a hair’s breadth the previous season – while continued progress in the European Cup Winners’ Cup had seen them advance to a mid-May final against AC Milan in Greece.
Yet due to losing four of the six league matches played in the past month, their championship challenge had faltered meaning Leeds could finish no higher than third, Bobby Charlton citing this poor run of form in predicting a Sunderland victory when sat high above the Wembley pitch in working as a match summariser for the BBC.
To prove him right they would have to create history in becoming the first FA Cup Final winning team of the 20th Century not to field an international player in their line-up, Sunderland up against a side whose match day twelve had only one (full-back Trevor Cherry) without a full cap to his name. Sitting beside Charlton, Derby County manager and former Roker Park favourite Brian Clough spoke for those not allowing hearts to rule their heads, stating:
‘It is impossible to be anything but confident Leeds will beat Sunderland today.’
What took place is, admittedly, hard to fathom, although in a week when ‘Tie A Yellow Ribbon‘ by Dawn was number one in the UK singles chart while top of the album listings was David Bowie with ‘Aladdin Sane‘ nothing should have seemed beyond the realms of possibility – but perhaps harder still to convey is the sense of excitement that descended on many households on cup final day through this era.
With live televised football still looked upon as a rare treat in the early 70s – May something of a bonanza with the FA Cup Final and England v Scotland before the month was out – the match itself was the main feature of a television schedule geared to build anticipation for the game, ranging from ‘Cup Final It’s A Knockout‘ involving supporters of both clubs to the respective teams being interviewed at their pre-Wembley hotel headquarters.
The excitement at chez Sambrook went up a notch when my dad joined me on the couch having worked through the morning. Aware by now of him attending two FA Cup Finals (1949/1960), at the age of twelve he was the only person I knew who had seen one, his young son placing such esteem on him having done so, any opinion dad offered on the match, or indeed football in general, was sacrosanct.
Many years later, in what now appears a subconscious attempt on my part to recreate such times, we had a full front room for the 2011 Manchester City v Stoke City encounter. But given the lack of incident, half-time had not been reached before my mum and wife were discussing hair colourings, while dad and I drifted into a conversation about England failing to qualify for the 1974 World Cup.
Back in 1973, however, the game proved compulsive viewing. Despite playing eight league matches in the previous twenty days, Sunderland show no lack of energy during the opening stages, their relaxed pre-match demeanour transmitting into an adrenaline-fused start that Leeds appear content to absorb before exerting control. But reward for the positivity and purpose they have displayed arrives on thirty one minutes when Sunderland go ahead, Scottish midfielder Ian Porterfield volleying home from eight yards after Leeds fail to clear a Billy Hughes corner.
As half-time approaches Leeds begin asking questions of the Sunderland defence, but central defenders Dave Watson and Richie Pitt are combative and composed in equal measure, a game for the ages taking on legendary status with the most celebrated act of goalkeeping in FA Cup Final history – the brilliant double save from long-serving custodian Jim Montgomery midway through the second half raising the prospect of Stokoe’s side going on to win the day.
Through the closing stages Leeds dominate possession yet despite attacking in unrelenting fashion cannot conjure a breakthrough, the closest to another goal coming at the other end where David Harvey denies Vic Halam with an excellent save when Sunderland counter-attack with time almost up.
At the final whistle, Stokoe, wrapped in a light beige overcoat over a red tracksuit, runs onto the pitch. He heads directly for Montgomery with whom he shares a celebratory hug in recognition of the match-winning heroics that saw him deny Trevor Cherry and then Peter Lorimer in the space of a few second half seconds. Their joyous embrace was uppermost no doubt in the thoughts of Spurs twice-winning FA Cup captain Danny Blanchflower, who described what had happened as ‘the most emotional match I have ever seen‘ in his report for the Sunday Express.
Blanchflower was not alone in sensing something quite momentous had just occurred. ITV commentator Brian Moore confirmed Sunderland as the first second division side for forty one years to win the cup and as their players gathered in readiness to receive the trophy, he made a succinct comment that captured the very essence of the match and why, for many, it remains the most fondly remembered cup final of all.
‘It’s a tremendous result for Sunderland‘ states Moore as skipper Bobby Kerr leads a posse of red and white striped shirts up the steps leading to the Royal Box, quickly adding:
‘And with all due deference to Leeds United, a tremendous result for football.‘
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NEIL SAMBROOK is also the author of ‘MONTY’S DOUBLE‘ – an acclaimed thriller now available in paperback and as an Amazon Kindle book.