Wednesday, May 04, 2005
“Sunderland Football Club began its life in October 1879 at a meeting of school teachers called by James Allan, graduate of Glasgow University who had started teaching at Hendon Board School. At first the club was called Sunderland and District Teachers' Association Football Club. After the first year non-teachers were allowed to join and the name was changed to Sunderland AFC (perhaps the teachers found the £10 a year for rent for their field too expensive and needed players with better paid jobs).” (safc.com)
James Allen was the vice captain of a team made up exclusively of School Teachers. He holds the club record for scoring the most goals ever in a game, playing as a left-winger he scored and amazing 12 goals.
Blue House Field, Hendon was the location of the clubs first ground located next to the board school where James Allan taught. Spectators would stand behind ropes placed around the perimeter of the pitch and would also get changed in the public house opposite.
The club spent two years at Blue House Field before moving to a ground at nearby Ashbrooke. During1881-82 season the club moved to Groves Field near to the current site of Ashbrooke Sports Club. A rent of £10 per year is believed to be the main reason that resulted in a move to Ashbrooke.
It wasn’t until later that the club moved north of the river to sites in Roker and Fulwell. In 1886 the club moved to Newcastle Road. The large pitch had stands around it, which could hold 15,000 spectators.
In 1882 they played in blue shirts, blue knickerbockers and a white stripe, using the playing formations of 1.2.2.6.
At a clubs inaugural meeting in 1879 players agreed to pay their own travel expenses and appointed the following officials: -
Captain - Robert Singleton (Headmaster of Gray School)
Vice Captain - James Allan
Club Secretary - W. Elliott
Ferryhill Athletic are believed to be the first opponents of Sunderland and playing in blue Sunderland lost 1-0. Other early opponents include Sedgefield, Bishop Middleham, and Newcastle Rangers.
Financial problems were a concern in 1881 and despite an increase in popularity; football games were not attracting enough support to cover the Clubs overhead costs.
An emergency meeting of the Club was called with 2 items on the agenda: -
1. disbanding the club.
2. relaxing membership qualifications.
Fortunately, the club was not disbanded and after the meeting non teachers were allowed to be members of the club. The club became known as Sunderland Association Football Club.
Norwich City have the nickname ‘The Canaries’ but it could have been Sunderland AFC who were given that nickname as one member of the committee raffled his canary to help raise funds for the club.
Most games in the early days were friendlies but the first cup competition the club entered was the Northumberland & Durham Association Challenge Cup. In the 1882-83 season the club reached the final and it didn’t go unnoticed: -
“Cup Fever” gripped the town and the Sunderland Echo wrote:
“great interest is manifest in the football world as to the issue of the contest.”
Unfortunately, Sunderland lost the game 2-0 to Tyne.
Hortaio Street, Roker was the venue of the clubs next ground before the start of the 1883-84 season. Dubbed the “clay-dolly field”, the playing surface was not ideal.
On 29 May 1883 at the Three Tunns Hotel, Durham a new Durham Football Association was formed separating from the previous joint association with Northumberland. Sunderland was one of the original 9 teams represented.
The Northumberland & Durham Association Challenge Cup was disbanded and replaced by the Durham Association Challenge Cup.
Darlington became Sunderland’s main rivals and from as early as 1884 there is records of crowd intimidation on opposing players and the referee. On 5 April 1884 Sunderland played Darlington in the final of the Durham Association Challenge Cup. Darlington scored first, but apparently the referee had missed a handball incident, that led to the goal. Sunderland eventually won the game 4-3 but Darlington successfully appealed, a second time to Durham FA claiming the game should be replayed due to the intimidation of their players and the referee by the Sunderland crown.
The tie was replayed on 3 May 1884 and is arguably Sunderland’s first organised away trip. The game was replayed on a neutral ground at Birtley and many of the spectators travelled thanks to special cheap trains laid on by the North Eastern Railway Company. Sunderland won the game 2-0.
The 1884-85 season saw Sunderland move again to Abbs Field Fulwell, near to Side Cliffe Road. This site was easier to control admission to the ground and it would see the rent for the 1884-85 season rise from £2 10s to £15 the next season due to dramatic rise in interest in the club.
Sunderland entered the FA Cup for the first time but were beaten on 8 November 1884 3-1 by Redcar, who were considered to be one of the best teams in the area.
Despite beating Castletown 23-0 in the Durham Association Challenge Cup, in a game that saw James Allan score 12 goals they failed to win the cup. Darlington sought revenge for the previous years defeat and they beat Sunderland in the final 3-0.
The game was starting to take off and the Sunderland Echo wrote: -
“The winter game has made an immense stride in public favour during this season, and has reached a height of popularity never before known in the district… Three seasons ago, all but unknown and certainly unnoticed, Sunderland AFC played off their matches in a field off Ashbrooke Road (… Since then) the dribbling code has had a rapid increase in the number of its followers…”
The 1886-87 season saw Sunderland wear the famous red & white stripes. The new strip was given its first outing on 18 September 1886 when Sunderland beat Notts Mellors 1-0.
“In 1887 the club was almost destroyed. Clubs in England (but not Scotland) had been allowed to pay players since 1885. New players from Scotland were being brought into the Sunderland team, taking the places of local men. James Allan left the club, taking many of the best players with him, and set up a rival club called Sunderland Albion. The town could not afford to support two football clubs and there was intense rivalry between them before a winner emerged.” (safc.com)
Despite losing players the club, with the backing of, wealthy directors like shipbuilder Robert Thompson and coal owner Samuel Tyzack, Sunderland brought in more talented young Scottish players and applied to join the Football League.
However, they were up against Sunderland Albion, who also applied to join the football league in 1890. The Sunderland Echo noted on Friday 2 May: -
“Local footballers will naturally be much interested in the annual meeting of the League to be held in Manchester tonight. Sunderland and Sunderland Albion will be represented at the meeting by delegates who will please for admission of their respective clubs to the charmed circle. It goes without saying that both cannot get in, and it is doubtful whether either will succeed.”
Sunderland AFC were admitted to the league after agreeing to contribute to the travelling expenses of away teams due to the increased distance they would have to travel (although no league club ever asked for such a contribution.)
“Their successful record in friendly matches against league teams helped their cause. When they beat Aston Villa 7 - 2 in 1889 a Villa official, William McGregor, (the league's founder) said that Sunderland had a talented player in every position.” (safc.com)
The "Team of all Talents" was elected to the league. Sunderland Albion gradually faded from the scene and eventually folded at the end of the 1891-92 season.
“The Football League had begun in 1888 with twelve clubs from Lancashire and the Midlands. Burnley, Blackburn Rovers, Everton, Accrington, Preston North End, Bolton Wanderers, Aston Villa, Notts County, West Bromwich Albion, Stoke, Derby County and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The idea was to provide regular matches against good teams. Each club played the other 11 teams twice, so there were only 22 league matches for each club. Preston were the first champions and they also won the FA Cup. They were champions the next season too but they have never been able to win a third championship in over a hundred years.” (safc.com)
The club ended the decade on a high, having achieved 4 cup wins in the Durham Association Challenge Cup and entry to the football league.
The 1890’s was one of the Clubs most successful eras. Dubbed “The Glory Years” the Team of all Talents managed to finish in the top 3 of the league no fewer than six times in a 10 year period.
The 1890/91 season was Sunderland’s first season in the football league. Their first game was against Burnely on 13 September 1890 at Newcastle Road. Unfortunately, Sunderland lost 3-2. Sunderland went on to lose their next game against Wolves 403, despite taking a 3-0 lead.
“A new goalkeeper, Teddy Doig, was brought from Scotland. He always wore a cap to hide his bald head: it is said that once when it fell off during a match he was more anxious to find his cap than the ball!! He may have been quite a character but he was certainly a successful goalkeeper: in the next six years Sunderland lost only one home match.” (safc.com)
Sunderland’s first win came on 20 September 1890, when they beat West Bromwich Albion 4-0.
The team ended their first season in the football league in seventh spot and secured a place in the FA Cup Final against Notts County. They lost 2-0 after a replay.
During the 1891-92 season Sunderland had their first player to be capped by England. Thomas Porteus, who was born in Newcastle, signed for Sunderland in 1889 and was part of the England side that beat Wasles 4-1 in March 1891.
During 1890’s the “Team of All Talents” lived up to their name and in the opinion of The Times, Sunderland had become
“a wonderfully fine team”
Sunderland were league champions in 1892, 1893 and 1895, the first club to win three championships, and they finished second in 1894. In 1892 the League expanded by adding a second division of twelve clubs. Promotion to the first division was not automatic until 1898: the top two teams in the second division had to play "test matches" against the bottom two from the first to decide their divisions for the next season. Newcastle United joined the second division in 1893 and were promoted to the first division five years later. (safc.com)
On 14 March 1896 Hughie Wilson (below) became the first Sunderland player to be ordered off the field in a match against Stoke City.
Sunderland finished second bottom of the first division in 1897 and had to win through the test matches to keep their place. The "Team of all Talents" was coming to an end as the nineteenth century reached its end.
“The club was rebuilding on and off field. A new, larger stadium (capacity 30,000) was built at Roker Park in 1898 (it was rented at first) and new players were brought in to replace the great side of the nineties. The first match at Roker, on 10th September, 1898 brought a 1-0 win over Liverpool” (safc.com)
During the 1894-95 season Sunderland recorded a record cup victory in front of 1,000 spectators against non-league Fairfield in the first round of the FA Cup.
Sunderland were crowned “Champions of the World” by the Scottish Press after beating Hearts on 27 April 1895 to become the best team in Britain at the time.
At the end of the 1895-96 season it was announced at the Clubs AGM that finances had been drained after spending a lot of money on players and ground improvements. In the past the Club had always been supported financially by local industry but the Board wanted a more permanent solution to funding.
The Board proposed at the AGM that the Club should become a Limited Company with a share issue to raise capital. The proposals were carried and the Club became known as Sunderland Association Football Club Ltd.
Prompted by spiralling rents the Chairman of the Club sought out land to develop a new ground. The Club decided the on some farmland at Roker owned by “Tushy” Tennant. This site would be the Clubs home for 99 years and was called Roker Park. Constructed in 4 months it started off with a capacity for approximately 30,000 spectators.
Next read the Sunderland AFC 1900 - 1920 era.
James Allen was the vice captain of a team made up exclusively of School Teachers. He holds the club record for scoring the most goals ever in a game, playing as a left-winger he scored and amazing 12 goals.
Blue House Field, Hendon was the location of the clubs first ground located next to the board school where James Allan taught. Spectators would stand behind ropes placed around the perimeter of the pitch and would also get changed in the public house opposite.
The club spent two years at Blue House Field before moving to a ground at nearby Ashbrooke. During1881-82 season the club moved to Groves Field near to the current site of Ashbrooke Sports Club. A rent of £10 per year is believed to be the main reason that resulted in a move to Ashbrooke.
It wasn’t until later that the club moved north of the river to sites in Roker and Fulwell. In 1886 the club moved to Newcastle Road. The large pitch had stands around it, which could hold 15,000 spectators.
In 1882 they played in blue shirts, blue knickerbockers and a white stripe, using the playing formations of 1.2.2.6.
At a clubs inaugural meeting in 1879 players agreed to pay their own travel expenses and appointed the following officials: -
Captain - Robert Singleton (Headmaster of Gray School)
Vice Captain - James Allan
Club Secretary - W. Elliott
Ferryhill Athletic are believed to be the first opponents of Sunderland and playing in blue Sunderland lost 1-0. Other early opponents include Sedgefield, Bishop Middleham, and Newcastle Rangers.
Financial problems were a concern in 1881 and despite an increase in popularity; football games were not attracting enough support to cover the Clubs overhead costs.
An emergency meeting of the Club was called with 2 items on the agenda: -
1. disbanding the club.
2. relaxing membership qualifications.
Fortunately, the club was not disbanded and after the meeting non teachers were allowed to be members of the club. The club became known as Sunderland Association Football Club.
Norwich City have the nickname ‘The Canaries’ but it could have been Sunderland AFC who were given that nickname as one member of the committee raffled his canary to help raise funds for the club.
Most games in the early days were friendlies but the first cup competition the club entered was the Northumberland & Durham Association Challenge Cup. In the 1882-83 season the club reached the final and it didn’t go unnoticed: -
“Cup Fever” gripped the town and the Sunderland Echo wrote:
“great interest is manifest in the football world as to the issue of the contest.”
Unfortunately, Sunderland lost the game 2-0 to Tyne.
Hortaio Street, Roker was the venue of the clubs next ground before the start of the 1883-84 season. Dubbed the “clay-dolly field”, the playing surface was not ideal.
On 29 May 1883 at the Three Tunns Hotel, Durham a new Durham Football Association was formed separating from the previous joint association with Northumberland. Sunderland was one of the original 9 teams represented.
The Northumberland & Durham Association Challenge Cup was disbanded and replaced by the Durham Association Challenge Cup.
Darlington became Sunderland’s main rivals and from as early as 1884 there is records of crowd intimidation on opposing players and the referee. On 5 April 1884 Sunderland played Darlington in the final of the Durham Association Challenge Cup. Darlington scored first, but apparently the referee had missed a handball incident, that led to the goal. Sunderland eventually won the game 4-3 but Darlington successfully appealed, a second time to Durham FA claiming the game should be replayed due to the intimidation of their players and the referee by the Sunderland crown.
The tie was replayed on 3 May 1884 and is arguably Sunderland’s first organised away trip. The game was replayed on a neutral ground at Birtley and many of the spectators travelled thanks to special cheap trains laid on by the North Eastern Railway Company. Sunderland won the game 2-0.
The 1884-85 season saw Sunderland move again to Abbs Field Fulwell, near to Side Cliffe Road. This site was easier to control admission to the ground and it would see the rent for the 1884-85 season rise from £2 10s to £15 the next season due to dramatic rise in interest in the club.
Sunderland entered the FA Cup for the first time but were beaten on 8 November 1884 3-1 by Redcar, who were considered to be one of the best teams in the area.
Despite beating Castletown 23-0 in the Durham Association Challenge Cup, in a game that saw James Allan score 12 goals they failed to win the cup. Darlington sought revenge for the previous years defeat and they beat Sunderland in the final 3-0.
The game was starting to take off and the Sunderland Echo wrote: -
“The winter game has made an immense stride in public favour during this season, and has reached a height of popularity never before known in the district… Three seasons ago, all but unknown and certainly unnoticed, Sunderland AFC played off their matches in a field off Ashbrooke Road (… Since then) the dribbling code has had a rapid increase in the number of its followers…”
The 1886-87 season saw Sunderland wear the famous red & white stripes. The new strip was given its first outing on 18 September 1886 when Sunderland beat Notts Mellors 1-0.
“In 1887 the club was almost destroyed. Clubs in England (but not Scotland) had been allowed to pay players since 1885. New players from Scotland were being brought into the Sunderland team, taking the places of local men. James Allan left the club, taking many of the best players with him, and set up a rival club called Sunderland Albion. The town could not afford to support two football clubs and there was intense rivalry between them before a winner emerged.” (safc.com)
Despite losing players the club, with the backing of, wealthy directors like shipbuilder Robert Thompson and coal owner Samuel Tyzack, Sunderland brought in more talented young Scottish players and applied to join the Football League.
However, they were up against Sunderland Albion, who also applied to join the football league in 1890. The Sunderland Echo noted on Friday 2 May: -
“Local footballers will naturally be much interested in the annual meeting of the League to be held in Manchester tonight. Sunderland and Sunderland Albion will be represented at the meeting by delegates who will please for admission of their respective clubs to the charmed circle. It goes without saying that both cannot get in, and it is doubtful whether either will succeed.”
Sunderland AFC were admitted to the league after agreeing to contribute to the travelling expenses of away teams due to the increased distance they would have to travel (although no league club ever asked for such a contribution.)
“Their successful record in friendly matches against league teams helped their cause. When they beat Aston Villa 7 - 2 in 1889 a Villa official, William McGregor, (the league's founder) said that Sunderland had a talented player in every position.” (safc.com)
The "Team of all Talents" was elected to the league. Sunderland Albion gradually faded from the scene and eventually folded at the end of the 1891-92 season.
“The Football League had begun in 1888 with twelve clubs from Lancashire and the Midlands. Burnley, Blackburn Rovers, Everton, Accrington, Preston North End, Bolton Wanderers, Aston Villa, Notts County, West Bromwich Albion, Stoke, Derby County and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The idea was to provide regular matches against good teams. Each club played the other 11 teams twice, so there were only 22 league matches for each club. Preston were the first champions and they also won the FA Cup. They were champions the next season too but they have never been able to win a third championship in over a hundred years.” (safc.com)
The club ended the decade on a high, having achieved 4 cup wins in the Durham Association Challenge Cup and entry to the football league.
The 1890’s was one of the Clubs most successful eras. Dubbed “The Glory Years” the Team of all Talents managed to finish in the top 3 of the league no fewer than six times in a 10 year period.
The 1890/91 season was Sunderland’s first season in the football league. Their first game was against Burnely on 13 September 1890 at Newcastle Road. Unfortunately, Sunderland lost 3-2. Sunderland went on to lose their next game against Wolves 403, despite taking a 3-0 lead.
“A new goalkeeper, Teddy Doig, was brought from Scotland. He always wore a cap to hide his bald head: it is said that once when it fell off during a match he was more anxious to find his cap than the ball!! He may have been quite a character but he was certainly a successful goalkeeper: in the next six years Sunderland lost only one home match.” (safc.com)
Sunderland’s first win came on 20 September 1890, when they beat West Bromwich Albion 4-0.
The team ended their first season in the football league in seventh spot and secured a place in the FA Cup Final against Notts County. They lost 2-0 after a replay.
During the 1891-92 season Sunderland had their first player to be capped by England. Thomas Porteus, who was born in Newcastle, signed for Sunderland in 1889 and was part of the England side that beat Wasles 4-1 in March 1891.
During 1890’s the “Team of All Talents” lived up to their name and in the opinion of The Times, Sunderland had become
“a wonderfully fine team”
Sunderland were league champions in 1892, 1893 and 1895, the first club to win three championships, and they finished second in 1894. In 1892 the League expanded by adding a second division of twelve clubs. Promotion to the first division was not automatic until 1898: the top two teams in the second division had to play "test matches" against the bottom two from the first to decide their divisions for the next season. Newcastle United joined the second division in 1893 and were promoted to the first division five years later. (safc.com)
On 14 March 1896 Hughie Wilson (below) became the first Sunderland player to be ordered off the field in a match against Stoke City.
Sunderland finished second bottom of the first division in 1897 and had to win through the test matches to keep their place. The "Team of all Talents" was coming to an end as the nineteenth century reached its end.
“The club was rebuilding on and off field. A new, larger stadium (capacity 30,000) was built at Roker Park in 1898 (it was rented at first) and new players were brought in to replace the great side of the nineties. The first match at Roker, on 10th September, 1898 brought a 1-0 win over Liverpool” (safc.com)
During the 1894-95 season Sunderland recorded a record cup victory in front of 1,000 spectators against non-league Fairfield in the first round of the FA Cup.
Sunderland were crowned “Champions of the World” by the Scottish Press after beating Hearts on 27 April 1895 to become the best team in Britain at the time.
At the end of the 1895-96 season it was announced at the Clubs AGM that finances had been drained after spending a lot of money on players and ground improvements. In the past the Club had always been supported financially by local industry but the Board wanted a more permanent solution to funding.
The Board proposed at the AGM that the Club should become a Limited Company with a share issue to raise capital. The proposals were carried and the Club became known as Sunderland Association Football Club Ltd.
Prompted by spiralling rents the Chairman of the Club sought out land to develop a new ground. The Club decided the on some farmland at Roker owned by “Tushy” Tennant. This site would be the Clubs home for 99 years and was called Roker Park. Constructed in 4 months it started off with a capacity for approximately 30,000 spectators.
Next read the Sunderland AFC 1900 - 1920 era.
