On This Day (27th March 1970): Monty the Marvel — but no Mexico!
27/03/2024 08:00
With Newcastle pushing for Europe and Sunderland bottom of the division, many Mags were predicting a rout — but Monty, Toddo and Sunderland's fighting spirit would not be denied!
Season 1969/70 was a very hard season for Sunderland fans. We started the season with a ten-game winless run, followed shortly afterwards by an eleven-game winless run and concluded the campaign with three wins in fifteen games.
We were the division's lowest scorers both home and away, which made the pre-season sale of goal-scoring youngster Colin Suggett (albeit for a record figure of £100,000) look like a very bad decision. Little of that transfer fee was invested in the team. Joe Baker did arrive for £30,000 but endured a tough season with both injuries and form scoring just four goals all season.
The experienced George Herd, Charlie Hurley and George Mulhall were gone from the squad by the time this season kicked off, and even though there was a clutch of very good youngsters (Todd, Hughes, Kerr, Tueart, Pitt, McGiven, Park, Lowery and Lathan) the balance of the squad was not good enough and an attritional turgid season ensued with the team never out of the bottom three all season.
Newcastle were enjoying a good season, looking to build on their Inter-Cities Fairs Cup win the previous season. I wonder how many of those Mags predicting a right shellacking in store for us this day, would have believed their Fairs Cup win, fifty-four years later would still be their one and only trophy?!
Nonetheless the Toon arrived in a rich vein of form and with the bragging rights from a three-nil hammering at St James Park earlier in the season. Newcastle had six players on the pitch this day who would go on to play for Sunderland (Moncur, Robson, Gibb, Guthrie, Foggon, Young).
I was attending an inner-city Newcastle grammar school at the time and took a lot of stick (not all of it that friendly, despite the fact one of our "old boys" Mick McGiven was playing for Sunderland) in the run up to this game.
I was a regular at Roker Park and also had enjoyed a marvelous run in the derby games from my first one at St James in 1966/67, having attended five and not seen us beat in any and winning two.
I was not confident about this one though in the run up that week, but on the morning of the game buoyed by some cash that I was given as an Easter present (that would fund my return to Roker Park the following day for our game against Derby County and the returning Brian Clough and John O'Hare), I decided we were in with a good chance, especially as John MacNamee had been declared unfit for the Toon, and one of my favourites Martin Harvey was back in the team.
Though we did not realise it at the time, the injury to Len Ashurst which facilitated Harvey's place on the teamsheet would mean that Ashurst would not add to his record-breaking 452 appearances for the Lads — he made his last appearance the week before this game in a hard-fought draw at Coventry.
The day before the game I was gutted to learn that Jimmy Montgomery had only been selected as a stand-by in Alf Ramsey's squad for Mexico. Gordon Banks, Alex Stepney, Peter Bonetti, and a young Peter Shilton were the four that would travel. Even allowing for a bit of Sunderland bias, I had seen all those goalkeepers play and the aura/skill of Banks aside, Monty was clearly better than the other three. My sense of grievance was further heightened by the complete exclusion of Colin Todd from the squad. Had these two been playing for a more fashionable club I remain steadfast in my view (fifty-four years later) that they would both have gone to Mexico and graced the competition.
Eighteen-year-old Bobby Park would make a derby debut and I was excited to see how he would go along with our clutch of youngsters in the white heat of this game, he was an exciting prospect who had impressed this season despite the difficulties.
This derby was the one hundredth between the two clubs and it could not have been more evenly balanced on thirty-six wins each. Our need for points over this Easter period to pull us away from the relegation places and Newcastle's need to maintain their push for the European places was crucial, but so were bragging rights and that was what was occupying my mind as I took my place in the packed Roker End and a 51,000 plus crowd.
A strong blustering wind which was favouring Newcastle in the first half as they kicked toward the Roker End would add to the frenetic pace of this game. It was a backs to the wall first-half performance from the Lads as Newcastle showed they were not sitting in the top six of the division by accident. In the very first minute, Martin Harvey had to clear off the line as Keith Dyson fired a shot past Monty.
Bryan 'Pop' Robson and Tommy Gibb were very effective down the right-hand side and were a constant source of threat in the first half. Jimmy Monty' had already made a clutch of good saves when a controversial moment arrived on twenty-six minutes.
Ron Guthrie sent a dangerous free kick into our box that Monty managed to safely grab. He had both feet on the ground and the ball in his grasp when Wyn Davies arrived at pace and absolutely battered our goalie into the back of the goal.
It was a horrendous assault, and midst my fury at the challenge I caught some non-verbal communication between the referee and his linesman. This all played out in slow motion and to my horror the linesman seemed to be indicating there was nothing wrong with the challenge and it was a goal. It seemed to take an eon for the ref to contradict his linesman and award a free kick. I was relieved but had to acknowledge on the balance of play United probably deserved the lead.
Apart from Jimmy Montgomery (who was unable to take any bye-kicks after the treatment he received), Colin Todd was having an impeccable game as sweeper. Martin Harvey and Mick McGiven were also to the fore defensively.
Monty' made another three brilliant saves, in the first half, two from 'Pop Robson' including a shot that looked a certain goal from where I was standing, and one from Keith Dyson.
Just before half-time and up the other end of the pitch we almost snatched a lead. Billy Hughes beat Ollie Burton to a Bobby Park cross and headed the ball back across goal. Jim Craig appeared to have the header covered, but in a flash, Dennis Tueart appeared on his blind side and planted a really strong header goalwards. I was not the only one with my arms in the air ready to pay homage at what also looked like a sure goal. In a save to match Monty's, Liam McFaul pulled off a great reactionary stop to keep the game at nil-nil.
With the wind in our favour and kicking toward the Roker End in the second half, we made a very bright start, with Park and Hughes in particular looking lively.
Gradually though Newcastle worked their way back into the game and took the lead. Ollie Burton slid an accurate pass to Smith, who crossed right across the box to Dyson on the right wing. He crossed a dangerous ball into our box that was half cleared to 'Jinky' Smith. The Scot first-timed a half volley from the edge of the box high into the back of our goal. This lad had cost Newcastle £100.000 from Aberdeen and if he had not worn the stripes of our arch rivals, I would have really enjoyed watching him play. I would though, pay grudging respect to a cracking strike on this day.
Having acknowledged what a difficult season this had been for Sunderland, I would say that effort and heart were rarely lacking. Going a goal down seemed to galvanise us to a degree as Kerr, Hughes and Park made inroads without really threatening the Newcastle goal.
Newcastle seemed content to keep possession and stroke the ball around the park, as if the game was won. I was not so sure and the more they did this the more I thought a chance would come and so it did.
On seventy-five minutes Bobby Kerr made another dash down his wing and sent over another cross into the "corridor of uncertainty." With the wind deviating the flight of the ball, both Bobby Moncur and Ollie Burton misjudged the flight and Dennis Tueart got his head to the cross and directed the ball to Bobby Park moving in on the edge of the box.
Park hit an absolute screamer that crashed off the underside of the bar. In that split second it was Dennis Tueart who once again reacted first, diving headlong between McFaul and Moncur and planting the ball in the back of the goal. Manager Alan Brown claimed after the game that Park's shot had crossed the line.
The surge and roar that met this goal was monumental, the noise seemed to be coming down in waves from all four corners as the red and white contingent in Roker Park acknowledged the role of two of our home-grown youngsters.
Despite my excitement, I did find Newcastle's tactics a little bizarre after the equaliser. Having largely dominated the game and possession, they continued to play a short ball game at a fairly sedate pace. We were able to get all our outfield players back behind the ball and almost broke on them twice and Dennis Tueart had a very strong claim for a penalty denied in the dying minutes of the game,
In reality a draw was not a helpful result for either team, but with honours even at full time, I felt like we had taken an unlikely point and just about deserved it given our effort and fight.
Hooliganism once again blighted this game. In a re-run of the last two seasons the Newcastle "hard lads" had smashed windows and terrorised local residents and shopkeepers on their way up to the ground from Seaburn station.
In a very concerning incident, a Police motor patrolman had spotted some "skinheads" throwing a bag over the wall at the Fulwell End, they had made off when they spotted the Policeman. The bag was found to contain a cache of weapons ranging from toilet chains, filed metal combs, meat hooks, darts, and bottles. Only five arrests were made in the ground as the vast majority were reasonably behaved.
Newcastle finished the season in seventh place and qualified for Europe. They defended the Fairs Cup but were knocked by Anderlecht in the quarterfinals.
Sunderland were relegated along with Sheffield Wednesday. It was the second time in our history that we had been relegated and both times were under the same manager Alan Brown. However, there was a whole raft of good young players at the club and I felt optimistic about our chances of a quick return to Division One
I enjoyed myself upon return to School, taking every opportunity I could to launch a diving header and shouting "Tueart" at the top of my voice to the acute aggravation of my Toony supporting friends.
One had to take one's enjoyment where one could in such a turgid season!
Division One — (27/03/1970) — Roker Park — Attendance: 51,950
Sunderland 1 - 1 Newcastle
Sunderland: Montgomery, Irwin, Harvey, Todd, Heslop, McGiven, Kerr, Harris, Park, Hughes, Tueart. Sub - Symm
Newcastle: McFaul, Craig, Guthrie, Burton, Moncur, Gibb, Robson, Smith, Dyson, Davies, Foggon. Sub – Young
