# 1990–91 Sunderland A.F.C. season

During the 1990–91 season Sunderland competed in the Football League First Division, the League Cup and the FA Cup. They finished 19th in the First Division and were relegated. Marco Gabbiadini was the top scorer in the First Division with 9 goals. They were knocked out of the League Cup in Round 3. Marco Gabbiadini was the top scorer in the League Cup with 2 goals. They were knocked out of The FA Cup in Round 3. No Sunderland players scored in the FA Cup. Marco Gabbiadini was the top scorer in all competitions with 11 goals. At the end of the season, Kevin Ball won the club's official Player Of The Season award, as well as the SAFC Supporters' Association Player Of The Season award.

## Players
### First-team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | GK | ENG | Tim Carter |
| — | GK | WAL | Tony Norman |
| — | DF | ENG | Kevin Ball |
| — | DF | ENG | Gary Bennett |
| — | DF | ENG | Paul Hardyman |
| — | DF | ENG | John Kay |
| — | DF | ENG | Richard Ord |
| — | DF | ENG | Ian Sampson |
| — | DF | ENG | Anth Smith |
| — | DF | NGA | Reuben Agboola |
| — | MF | ENG | Brian Atkinson |
| — | MF | ENG | Gordon Armstrong |
| — | MF | ENG | Paul Bracewell |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | ENG | John Cornforth |
| — | MF | ENG | Martin Gray |
| — | MF | ENG | Gary Owers |
| — | MF | WAL | Colin Pascoe |
| — | MF | IRL | Kieron Brady |
| — | MF | IRL | Brian Mooney |
| — | MF | ENG | Tony Cullen |
| — | FW | ENG | Peter Davenport |
| — | FW | ENG | Marco Gabbiadini |
| — | FW | ENG | Warren Hawke |
| — | FW | ENG | David Rush |
| — | FW | GER | Thomas Hauser |

## Results

Sunderland's score comes first.
| Win | Draw | Loss |

### League Cup

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 25 September 1990 | Round 2 Leg 1 | Bristol City | Roker Park | 0-1 | 10,358 | |
| 9 October 1990 | Round 2 Leg 2 | Bristol City | Ashton Gate | 6-1 (6-2 on aggregate) | 11,776 | Hauser 1', Ball 43', Owers 49', Gabbiadini 67', 82', Cullen 77' |
| 31 October 1990 | Round 3 | Derby County | The Baseball Ground | 0-6 | 16,442 | |

### FA Cup

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 5 January 1991 | Round 3 | Arsenal | Highbury | 1-2 | 35,128 | O'Leary (own goal) |

### Football League First Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 25 August 1990 | Norwich City | Carrow Road | 2-3 | 17,247 | Davenport 54', Gabbiadini 63' |
| 28 August 1990 | Tottenham Hotspur | Roker Park | 0-0 | 30,214 | |
| 1 September 1990 | Manchester United | Roker Park | 2-1 | 26,105 | Owers 23', Bennett 89' |
| 8 September 1990 | Chelsea | Stamford Bridge | 2-3 | 19,424 | Gabbiadini 37', Brady 55' |
| 15 September 1990 | Everton | Roker Park | 2-2 | 25,004 | Davenport (pen) 8', Gabbiadini 32' |
| 22 September 1990 | Wimbledon | Plough Lane | 2-2 | 6,143 | Armstrong 39', Davenport 72' |
| 29 September 1990 | Liverpool | Roker Park | 0-1 | 31,107 | |
| 6 October 1990 | Aston Villa | Villa Park | 0-3 | 26,017 | |
| 20 October 1990 | Luton Town | Roker Park | 2-0 | 20,025 | Gabbiadini 12', Davenport 31' |
| 27 October 1990 | Arsenal | Highbury | 0-1 | 38,539 | |
| 3 November 1990 | Manchester City | Roker Park | 1-1 | 23,137 | Davenport 26' |
| 10 November 1990 | Coventry City | Roker Park | 0-0 | 20,101 | |
| 17 November 1990 | Nottingham Forest | The City Ground | 0-2 | 22,757 | |
| 24 November 1990 | Sheffield United | Bramall Lane | 2-0 | 19,179 | Gabbiadini 70', 90' |
| 1 December 1990 | Derby County | Roker Park | 1-2 | 21,212 | Armstrong 90' |
| 8 December 1990 | Tottenham Hotspur | White Hart Lane | 3-3 | 30,431 | Pascoe 10', 75' , Davenport 22' |
| 15 December 1990 | Norwich City | Roker Park | 1-2 | 18,693 | Armstrong 14' |
| 23 December 1990 | Leeds United | Roker Park | 0-1 | 23,773 | |
| 26 December 1990 | Crystal Palace | Selhurst Park | 1-2 | 15,228 | Rush 61' |
| 29 December 1990 | Queens Park Rangers | Loftus Road | 2-3 | 11,072 | Pascoe 44', Ball (pen) 48' |
| 1 January 1991 | Southampton | Roker Park | 1-0 | 19,757 | Ball (pen) 48' |
| 12 January 1991 | Manchester United | Old Trafford | 0-3 | 45,934 | |
| 19 January 1991 | Chelsea | Roker Park | 1-0 | 20,038 | Pascoe 59' |
| 2 February 1991 | Everton | Goodison Park | 0-2 | 23,124 | |
| 16 February 1991 | Nottingham Forest | Roker Park | 1-0 | 20,394 | Gabbiadini 39' |
| 23 February 1991 | Coventry City | Highfield Road | 0-0 | 10,453 | |
| 2 March 1991 | Derby County | The Baseball Ground | 3-3 | 16,027 | Armstrong 11', Gabbiadini 16', Ball 23' |
| 9 March 1991 | Sheffield United | Roker Park | 0-1 | 23,238 | |
| 16 March 1991 | Liverpool | Anfield | 1-2 | 37,582 | Armstrong 18' |
| 23 March 1991 | Aston Villa | Roker Park | 1-3 | 21,099 | Davenport 55' |
| 30 March 1991 | Crystal Palace | Roker Park | 2-1 | 19,704 | Brady 45', Rush 90' |
| 2 April 1991 | Leeds United | Elland Road | 0-5 | 28,132 | |
| 6 April 1991 | Queens Park Rangers | Roker Park | 0-1 | 17,899 | |
| 13 April 1991 | Southampton | The Dell | 1-3 | 16,812 | Hauser 24' |
| 20 April 1991 | Luton Town | Kenilworth Road | 2-1 | 11,157 | Gordon Armstrong 22', Pascoe 63' |
| 23 April 1991 | Wimbledon | Roker Park | 0-0 | 24,036 | |
| 4 May 1991 | Arsenal | Roker Park | 0-0 | 22,606 | |
| 11 May 1991 | Manchester City | Maine Road | 2-3 | 39,194 | Gabbiadini 40', Bennett 44' |

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 16 | Coventry City | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 42 | 49 | −7 | 44 | |
| 17 | Aston Villa | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 46 | 58 | −12 | 41 | |
| 18 | Luton Town | 38 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 42 | 61 | −19 | 37 | |
| 19 | Sunderland (R) | 38 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 38 | 60 | −22 | 34 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 20 | Derby County (R) | 38 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 37 | 75 | −38 | 24 | Relegation to the Second Division |

## Goal scorers

| Nation | Name | League | League Cup | FA Cup | Total |
| | Marco Gabbiadini | 8 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| | Peter Davenport | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| | Gordon Armstrong | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| | Colin Pascoe | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| | Kevin Ball | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| | Gary Bennett | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| | David Rush | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| | Kieron Brady | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| | Gary Owers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| | Thomas Hauser | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| | Tony Cullen | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| / | Own goals | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| / | Totals | 38 | 6 | 1 | 45 |