# 1997–98 Sunderland A.F.C. season

During the 1997–98 English football season, Sunderland A.F.C. competed in the Football League First Division.

## Season summary

In the 1997–98 season, their first campaign at their new ground, Sunderland finished third in Division One. After beating Sheffield United in the Football League play-offs semi-final, they reached the final at Wembley with a place in the Premier League at stake. Over 40,000 fans travelled from the North-East to see the game against Charlton Athletic. The match was drawn 4–4 after extra time had been played; Charlton, however, won the game on a penalty shootout, after Michael Gray had his penalty saved by Charlton goalkeeper Saša Ilić.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Nottingham Forest (C, P) | 46 | 28 | 10 | 8 | 82 | 42 | +40 | 94 | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 2 | Middlesbrough (P) | 46 | 27 | 10 | 9 | 77 | 41 | +36 | 91 | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 3 | Sunderland | 46 | 26 | 12 | 8 | 86 | 50 | +36 | 90 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 4 | Charlton Athletic (O, P) | 46 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 80 | 49 | +31 | 88 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 5 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 77 | 43 | +34 | 83 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |

## Results

Sunderland's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League First Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 10 August 1997 | Sheffield United | A | 0–2 | 17,324 | |
| 15 August 1997 | Manchester City | H | 3–1 | 38,827 | Quinn, Phillips, Clark |
| 23 August 1997 | Port Vale | A | 1–3 | 8,290 | Phillips |
| 30 August 1997 | Norwich City | H | 0–1 | 29,204 | |
| 2 September 1997 | Oxford United | H | 3–1 | 27,643 | Phillips, Beauchamp (own goal), Melville |
| 5 September 1997 | Bradford City | A | 4–0 | 16,484 | Gray, Clark, Phillips, Johnston |
| 14 September 1997 | Birmingham City | A | 1–0 | 17,478 | Gray |
| 20 September 1997 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 1–1 | 30,682 | Smith |
| 28 September 1997 | Middlesbrough | H | 1–2 | 35,384 | Ball |
| 4 October 1997 | Reading | A | 0–4 | 10,795 | |
| 18 October 1997 | Huddersfield Town | H | 3–1 | 24,782 | Smith, Bridges, Clark |
| 21 October 1997 | Swindon Town | H | 0–0 | 27,553 | |
| 25 October 1997 | Stoke City | A | 2–1 | 14,587 | Clark (2) |
| 1 November 1997 | Stockport County | A | 1–1 | 9,474 | Clark |
| 4 November 1997 | Charlton Athletic | H | 0–0 | 25,455 | |
| 8 November 1997 | Nottingham Forest | H | 1–1 | 33,160 | Phillips |
| 15 November 1997 | Portsmouth | A | 4–1 | 10,702 | Quinn, Clark, Johnston, Summerbee |
| 22 November 1997 | Bury | A | 1–1 | 7,790 | Phillips |
| 29 November 1997 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 3–0 | 26,674 | Clark (2), Phillips |
| 6 December 1997 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 1–0 | 15,266 | Quinn |
| 13 December 1997 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–0 | 29,231 | Phillips, Johnston |
| 20 December 1997 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 3–0 | 5,404 | Phillips, Summerbee, Quinn |
| 26 December 1997 | Bradford City | H | 2–0 | 40,055 | Phillips, Johnston |
| 28 December 1997 | Oxford United | A | 1–1 | 8,659 | Phillips |
| 10 January 1998 | Sheffield United | H | 4–2 | 36,391 | Quinn, Rae, Phillips (2) |
| 17 January 1998 | Manchester City | A | 1–0 | 31,715 | Phillips |
| 28 January 1998 | Norwich City | A | 1–2 | 15,940 | Clark |
| 31 January 1998 | Port Vale | H | 4–2 | 39,258 | Johnston, Phillips, Quinn, Carragher (own goal) |
| 7 February 1998 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 1–0 | 27,502 | Ball |
| 17 February 1998 | Reading | H | 4–1 | 40,579 | Quinn, Rae, Phillips (2) |
| 21 February 1998 | Middlesbrough | A | 1–3 | 30,227 | Clark |
| 24 February 1998 | Huddersfield Town | A | 3–2 | 14,615 | Johnston (3, 1 pen) |
| 28 February 1998 | Ipswich Town | H | 2–2 | 35,114 | Williams, Phillips |
| 4 March 1998 | Nottingham Forest | A | 3–0 | 29,009 | Rae, Johnston, Phillips |
| 7 March 1998 | Stockport County | H | 4–1 | 34,870 | Quinn (3), Phillips |
| 10 March 1998 | Birmingham City | H | 1–1 | 37,602 | Johnston |
| 15 March 1998 | Charlton Athletic | A | 1–1 | 15,355 | Phillips |
| 21 March 1998 | Portsmouth | H | 2–1 | 38,134 | Phillips, Johnston |
| 28 March 1998 | Bury | H | 2–1 | 37,425 | Clark, Phillips |
| 3 April 1998 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 2–0 | 14,116 | Phillips, Summerbee |
| 10 April 1998 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 2–2 | 40,014 | Quinn (2) |
| 13 April 1998 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 3–3 | 20,181 | Quinn (2), Phillips |
| 18 April 1998 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 2–1 | 40,441 | Ball, Clark |
| 25 April 1998 | Stoke City | H | 3–0 | 41,214 | Williams, Phillips (2) |
| 28 April 1998 | Ipswich Town | A | 0–2 | 20,902 | |
| 3 May 1998 | Swindon Town | A | 2–1 | 14,868 | Phillips (2) |

### First Division play-offs

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| SF 1st Leg | 10 May 1998 | Sheffield United | A | 1–2 | 23,800 | Ball |
| SF 2nd Leg | 13 May 1998 | Sheffield United | H | 2–0 (won 3–2 on agg) | 40,092 | Marker (own goal), Phillips |
| F | 25 May 1998 | Charlton Athletic | N | 4–4 (lost 6–7 on pens) | 77,739 | Quinn (2), Phillips, Summerbee |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 3 January 1998 | Rotherham United | A | 5–1 | 11,500 | Phillips (4, 1 pen), Quinn |
| R4 | 24 January 1998 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 0–1 | 14,055 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 First Leg | 16 September 1997 | Bury | H | 2–1 | 18,775 | Williams, Bridges |
| R2 Second Leg | 23 September 1997 | Bury | A | 2–1 (won 4–2 on agg) | 3,928 | Smith, Rae |
| R3 | 15 October 1997 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–2 | 26,451 | |

## Players
### First-team squad

    Squad at end of season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | GK | ENG | Luke Weaver |
| — | GK | ENG | Mike Pollitt |
| — | GK | FRA | Lionel Pérez |
| — | GK | NED | Edwin Zoetebier |
| — | DF | ENG | Jody Craddock |
| — | DF | ENG | Elliott Dickman |
| — | DF | ENG | Michael Gray |
| — | DF | ENG | Paul Heckingbottom |
| — | DF | ENG | Darren Holloway |
| — | DF | ENG | Chris Makin |
| — | DF | ENG | Mark Maley |
| — | DF | ENG | Richard Ord |
| — | DF | ENG | Martin Scott |
| — | DF | ENG | Darren Williams |
| — | DF | WAL | Gareth Hall |
| — | DF | WAL | Andy Melville |
| — | DF | SCO | Allan Johnston |
| — | DF | DEN | Kim Heiselberg |
| — | MF | ENG | Steve Agnew |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | ENG | Sam Aiston |
| — | MF | ENG | Kevin Ball |
| — | MF | ENG | Paul Bracewell |
| — | MF | ENG | Chris Byrne |
| — | MF | ENG | Lee Clark |
| — | MF | ENG | Chris Lumsdon |
| — | MF | ENG | John Mullin |
| — | MF | ENG | Nicky Summerbee |
| — | MF | ENG | Paul Thirlwell |
| — | MF | SCO | David Duke |
| — | MF | SCO | Alex Rae |
| — | FW | ENG | Michael Bridges |
| — | FW | ENG | Danny Dichio |
| — | FW | ENG | Kevin Phillips |
| — | FW | ENG | Michael Proctor |
| — | FW | ENG | Craig Russell |
| — | FW | ENG | Martin Smith |
| — | FW | IRL | Niall Quinn |

### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Division One | Division One | Play-offs | Play-offs | FA Cup | FA Cup | Coca-Cola Cup | Coca-Cola Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||||
| | GK | FRA | Lionel Perez | 52 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | Luke Weaver | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | GK | NED | Edwin Zoetebier | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||||
| | DF | ENG | Jody Craddock | 40 | 0 | 31+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Michael Gray | 52 | 2 | 44+1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | WAL | Gareth Hall | 2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Darren Holloway | 37 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Chris Makin | 31 | 0 | 23+2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | WAL | Andy Melville | 10 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Richard Ord | 15 | 0 | 13+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Martin Scott | 11 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Darren Williams | 43 | 3 | 35+1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||||
| | MF | ENG | Steve Agnew | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Sam Aiston | 3 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Kevin Ball | 37 | 4 | 29+2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Paul Bracewell | 3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Chris Byrne | 10 | 0 | 4+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Lee Clark | 52 | 13 | 46 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | Allan Johnston | 47 | 11 | 38+2 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Chris Lumsdon | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | John Mullin | 6 | 0 | 1+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | Alex Rae | 35 | 4 | 24+5 | 3 | 0+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 |
| | MF | ENG | Nicky Summerbee | 30 | 4 | 22+3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||||
| | FW | ENG | Michael Bridges | 11 | 2 | 6+3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| | FW | ENG | Danny Dichio | 16 | 0 | 2+11 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Kevin Phillips | 48 | 35 | 42+1 | 29 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | IRL | Niall Quinn | 39 | 17 | 33+2 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Craig Russell | 6 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Martin Smith | 18 | 3 | 11+5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 |