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We’re back in FA Cup action this weekend and Sunderland head to take on Port Vale, who are currently sat bottom of League One. Joining us to tell us all about our opponents in the fifth round is Phil Bowers, who is the BBC Stoke match commentator for all Valiants games! All this and more! […]
Sunderland beat Leeds 1–0 midweek with what many called a depleted team. The trip to Elland Road was not without its dramas: a Leeds disallowed goal jangled the nerves somewhat before Habib Diarra struck from the spot to take Sunderland to the much-coveted 40-point mark. Yet the highlight of the story has to be Luke […]
The 1984/85 season was a very strange affair indeed. One where we reached our first Wembley final since that glorious day in 1973, but we also suffered relegation down to the ‘Canon Division 2’. The history books will show that despite beating our Milk Marketing Board League Cup rivals Norwich City 3–1 only a week […]
Vic Halom is one of those players from our 1973 FA Cup winning team that fans of the time still get misty-eyed about. Born in Swadlincote and raised in Burton-upon-Trent, he actually began and spent the first years of his professional career in London, starting as an apprentice at Charlton and making his league debut […]
As I detailed in a previous article, I am unusual in being an adopted Mackem who grew up in the Potteries and caught the Sunderland bug watching the Lads in a Fifth Round FA Cup tie at Stoke in 1976. Now, fifty years later, Sunderland are contesting their first Fifth Round tie in a decade […]
When rumours of an injury to Robin Roefs began to gather pace, ahead of Tuesday’s match against Leeds, I could almost hear the cries of disappointment from Wearside in my adopted home in Yorkshire. The calm, phlegmatic young Dutchman is arguably competing with Granit Xhaka, Nordi Mukiele and Omar Alderete as the most influential of […]
Joe Cowan: 7/10 Made one good save from a near post effort that he did well to tip over the bar but well protected tonight and most of his work was punching away corners, which he was very proactive with. No chance with the late consolation for Watford. Finlay Holcroft: 7/10 A solid display at […]
Following a productive trip down to Bournemouth, we scarcely had time to catch our breath before it was time for another away trip, this time in the opposite direction from the capital to Leeds. Last season’s late defeat at Elland Road was definitely one of the more scarring in recent times; I can’t listen to […]
Roll up, roll up – it’s time for your weekly dose of Sunderland news reaction! Join Gav, Martin, Andrew and Ant as they debate all the latest mackem news stories, including: All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free daily show. Want to get […]
Sunderland travelled south for their final away double-header of the season, with trips to Bournemouth and Leeds in the space of seventy two hours. On paper it felt like an enormous task for Régis Le Bris to galvanise his players having not taken maximum points on the road since October, but the welcome return of […]
When the teams were announced on Tuesday night and after reading the comments from some fans online, you would think Régis Le Bris had named a team made up of builders, plumbers and postmen. There was almost a definitive conclusion that Sunderland were going to lose comfortably and that the mighty Leeds — with their […]
Gav says… Frankly, I’d be annoyed if we don’t go as strong as we can. I know we’ve got loads of injuries right now but we’re well safe in the Premier League and should be thinking about the rest of the season as a giant opportunity. I’ve not seen Sunderland take the FA Cup seriously […]
To witness Dan Ballard’s performance against Leeds United on Tuesday was to watch a defender who was fully in control, entirely aware of the scale of the task at hand, and utterly hellbent on guiding his team to victory. With a rookie goalkeeper to protect in Melker Ellborg and memories of last season’s late, heartbreaking […]
With the Sunderland team on course for promotion to Division One in the league, FA Cup fever was building amongst fans as memories of 1973 were flooding back to them on the eve of reaching the quarter-final stage against Crystal Palace. Stokoe’s team had been somewhat fortunate with the draws they got up until this […]
SWe’re between a great win “UNDER THE LIGHTS!!” at Elland Road and a glamour FA Cup fifth round tie at Port Vale so a perfect time for a Q&A with the questions sent in by you lovely people! On today’s show: All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss […]
Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! [email protected] Dear Roker Report, I can’t believe the pathetic, over-the-top reactions coming from Leeds because we did a number on them. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever heard such nonsense and amount of excuses in the entire […]
If I had my way, every goal Sunderland score would be like Jack Clarke’s team goal against Reading under Tony Mowbray a few years ago. Every tackle would be like Trai Hume’s on Ben Brereton Diaz at Wembley, and every save would be like Craig Gordon’s against Bolton in 2010. Every performance would be as convincing and […]
After away defeats to Bristol Rovers and Aldershot had knocked Sunderland off the top of the Division Three table, and had left the lads with just one win in six games, Denis Smith’s team looked forward to two home fixtures to get truly back on track in their quest for the Division Three title. A […]
Katie Kitching captaining New Zealand in the final two matches of their Oceania World Cup qualifiers felt like one of those moments in football that arrives quietly but leaves a lasting impression. It didn’t demand your attention and nor was it a dramatic twist or a shock announcement. Instead, it was softer; something that made […]
Who knew such creativity could be found so close to home? It’s now getting to the point in the season where a lot of managers have given up on their FPL. To be honest, we can’t really blame them. From that random Calvert-Lewin 7-9-6-9-13-8 point run to Bruno Fernandes’ untimely injury in December, it’s proven […]
It’s difficult to take in the news that Izzy Atkinson will be out for the remainder of the season. For a player who’d already fought her way back from one long spell on the sidelines and returned with the sharpness and confidence that make her such a special presence in this Sunderland side, this latest […]
Welcome to today’s episode of Haway The Podcast, and once again we take a trip down memory lane with Martin, Andrew and Kelvin. On today’s show… • We take a look at the circumstances surrounding Alan Durban’s sacking in 1984 • Recall Danny Blanchflower’s famous comments about the Roker Park atmosphere • Follow up on […]
I tend to veer away from giving too much lip service to who is refereeing our games during pre-match build-up. We aren’t in 2005 Serie A. This isn’t Calciopoli, where Luciano Moggi is in a back office somewhere threatening referees over the phone. I have regularly been of the belief that, despite dodgy officiating, if […]
Andrew Smithson says… Back to basics and back to our best It wasn’t a classic but the performance against Leeds showcased a lot of Sunderland’s best attributes under Régis Le Bris. The team was organised, focused and put their bodies on the line, and whilst they didn’t create too much, they didn’t need to because […]
The Lads stand firm under the West Yorkshire lights Four years ago, Alex Neil brought Sunderland to Yorkshire — specifically Hillsborough — with a place in the League One playoff final at stake, with the Lads digging in to grind out a 1-2 aggregate success and a bloodied and battered Bailey Wright providing the night’s […]