Sunderland FA Cup final heroes Jim Montgomery, Dick Malone and Micky Horswill relive famous 1973 victory over Leeds United | Daily Mail Online comments Sunderland and Leeds United meet in the FA Cup for the first time on Sunday since the 1973 final at Wembley. Second Division Sunderland were the 1-0 victors over Don Revie’s holders thanks to a first-half goal from Ian Porterfield. But the match is best remembered for goalkeeper Jim Montgomery’s remarkable double save from Trevor Cherry and Peter Lorimer. Sunderland keeper Jim Montgomery makes his spectacular double save, this one from Peter Lorimer On full-time, manager Bob Stokoe ran on to the pitch in his red tracksuit, overcoat and trademark trilby and a statue now celebrates that moment outside of the Stadium of Light. Ahead of the third-round tie, Sportsmail’s Craig Hope went to meet Montgomery, defender Dick Malone – who scrambled the ball clear after the save – and midfielder Micky Horswill, who at 20 years old was the youngest player on the pitch. We listened in to their memories of that famous day.

Sunderland boss Bob Stokoe hugs his jubilant goalkeeper Montgomery (left) after winning the 1973 FA Cup Craig: It’s Saturday, May 5, 1973, take it away… Dick: Well, I never slept. Micky: He was out on the town man! Dick: Well, I didn't like to say that… But no, if I slept an hour I'd done well. I was just so pumped for the game that the match day started for me the night before. Micky: I don't think any of us slept because we were so excited. The night before there was a preview show on the television with Jackie Charlton and Brian Clough on a panel. They were talking about how Leeds were going to pummel us and give us a good hiding. That geed us all up. We didn't need a team talk after that. I roomed with Joe Bolton, who was just one of the young lads. We ate bags of sweets all night and watched the television. The next morning we had breakfast with all the television cameras and we all went down in our scruffs, while Leeds in the other hotel were there in their suits and ties.

Sportsmail's Craig Hope (far left) talks with Micky Horswill, Dick Malone and Jim Montgomery Stokoe holds aloft the FA Cup after second division Sunderland beat the holders Leeds United Jim: I think the biggest thing for me on cup final day was that we'd already beaten the other two top quality sides with Arsenal in the semi-final and Man City in an earlier round, so there was no reason why we couldn't beat Leeds. I wasn't having to deal with Eddie Gray, Johnny Giles and Billy Bremner though! Micky: In those days you faced each other during the National Anthem, so I stared at Allan Clarke for some reason, because he was the top English player. That was the only time I was a little bit nervous. Dick: To be honest, I don't think we ever thought we'd get beat. We didn’t go into any game thinking that. Craig: Ian Porterfield put you ahead and then the moment we all remember, the save… Jim: I've spoken to Peter Lorimer many times since and he says he hit it as sweet as he could. He always says he'd do the same again. Well, I'd do the same again too!

Malone (centre) and Montgomery (right) remember they couldn't sleep a wink night before the final Horswill (left), Montgomery (centre) and Malone reminisce as they look at a picture from cup final day Micky: Monty made great saves all the time. You didn't realise it. Jim: I think it was just the occasion. I probably did a better one against Hull City two weeks before that, but there were only two men and a dog there. It's when the cameras are there and it's the occasion. If we'd lost the cup, no-one would talk about it. Dick: You should have held the first shot though! Jim: Well if I had we wouldn't still be sat here talking about it would we?! Craig: Then it’s full-time and Bob is running across the pitch… Jim: For whatever reason, Bob chose to do that. That was Bob's way of releasing all his adrenaline. That was the way he was. I was looking around at all the supporters and waving, and then suddenly Bob appears.

Horswill (left), Montgomery (centre) and Malone pose in front of the statue of former manager Stokoe Billy Hughes and Montgomery hold the FA Cup as they parade the trophy in front of the Sunderland fans Craig: What was that walk up to the Royal Box like? Dick: Well, when Bob ran onto the pitch and wrapped his arms around me, he stuck his thumb in my eye! So I couldn't see very well going up or going down the steps. Micky: When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was go up those steps, get my medal and turn around at the crowd. I remember afterwards in the dressing-room, Dave Watson came to me and said “do you fancy going back out on the pitch?”. So we went out with one of those red-and-white striped plastic bowler hats on and a bottle of champagne. There wasn't a person in the stadium, so we walked to the six-yard box and didn't say a word. We just took in this weird atmosphere, and thought back to the game. It was fantastic. Craig: There must have been some party? Jim: It was at The Dorchester.

All the press expected Leeds to win, so all the cameras were at their hotel, but then they had to rush across to ours. Montgomery (left), Malone (centre) and Horswill pictured with the FA Cup trophy at the Stadium of Light Micky: We'd been partying for hours, but we suddenly got hungry. Someone said do you fancy going for something to eat? We were on the end of Park Lane and we went to a burger place on Oxford Street. There we were, FA Cup winners in a burger place with a load of our fans at two o’clock in the morning. It was packed! Jim: The biggest disappointment for me was that we had a game at Cardiff City on the Monday night. So on the Sunday morning, the wives had the cup on the bus and were driving home. They had people passing them on the motorway, hooting at them with the cup. But we had to go to Cardiff so we had a night out afterwards - we were a bit green going back! Micky: We had to stop at Scotch Corner to get tidied up for the reception. Craig: That must have been an incredible homecoming?

Stokoe holds aloft his hat as he leaves the field after his side's victory against Leeds in 1973 Dick: There was just red and white supporters everywhere hanging off the tops of buildings as we drove through town. Jim: They pushed the beds out of the hospitals as we went past just so they could see it. Micky: When we got to the stadium, they had a coffin with RIP Leeds on in the centre-circle. Craig: You must have felt like superstars? Dick: Not at all. At the time, Micky was on £25 a week and £25 appearance money. Jim: I was on a lot more than that! Dick: I was on about £100 quid, so was Jim. It was decent money but we weren’t that much better off than the man on the street, we mixed with them. I mean, my car failed its MOT three times! It was a sportsback Nissan type, nothing flash. The Sunderland players take a lap of honour around the pitch after winning the FA Cup Malone (left) recalls driving through Sunderland on the homecoming to see red and white fans everywhere Micky: I had an old Ford Cortina.

Jim: I had a white Ford Corsair. Then when we won the cup I must admit I got a flashy sporty one… Micky: But we were just ordinary blokes really. I was living in Annfield Plain in a little council house with my mam and dad. When we won the cup I signed a form to take it home for a day. I took it to the village in the boot of my car. I put it in my lounge and everyone from the council estate came and lined up for their photo taken – they had their babies in the top and all sorts. Dick: I’m actually still living in the same house just outside of town. Jim: I was living up the street from Dick and our favourite pub, The Barnes, was just down the road. We’d meet there for a couple of pints at half five then go and pick up our wives or girlfriends – some would pick both up! Then we went to see some fantastic turns in town, the likes of Tom Jones and Bob Monkhouse, brilliant times. Bobby Kerr caried by teammates Billy Hughes and Montgomery after the FA Cup Final victory Craig: That one game has defined your lives really?

Jim: When I'm walking around the town now, they all know what we've done. But what I like is when they say they watched it at their aunty's because it was their first colour television. When they were getting their first colour TVs it shows you how long ago it was! Micky: What amazes me is that people who were born 20 years after that all know us. Their parents have drilled it into them, so we're still household names with people who were born in the 80s or 90s. Maybe if we'd won a cup or two since then, we might not be as well known in the town. Dick: It's a bit embarrassing still talking about it 42 years on though… Listening to their tales, you get the impression they are far from embarrassed… and who can blame them? Flashback: Sunderland's 1973 giantkilling of Leeds can act as inspiration against Manchester City in League Cup final - Telegraph Sunderland Flashback: Sunderland's 1973 giantkilling of Leeds can act as inspiration against Manchester City in League Cup final In 1973, as a Second Division club, Sunderland toppled Leeds United in the FA Cup final.

They take on Manchester City on Sunday in the League Cup final hoping history repeats itself Winning feeling: Sunderland upset the odds against Leeds back in 1973 Photo: AP Follow Sunderland have been here before. The task of upsetting English football's dominant force, in a showpiece occasion at Wembley, might cause some ripples of anxiety among the 31,000 Wearsiders heading south on Sunday for the Capital One Cup final against Manchester City, but the last time Sunderland were faced with such apparently insurmountable odds, they not only played above themselves but returned north clutching silverware. That moment came in 1973 when, as a Second Division club, Sunderland toppled Leeds United in the FA Cup final. Leeds were omnipotent, a swaggering but well-drilled outfit under Don Revie that not only punished lesser teams at home, but also abroad. Sunderland were written off as plucky runners up even while they were receiving praise for reaching Wembley.

Their subsequent triumph - Sunderland won 1-0 victory through Ian Porterfield's goal - has become so enshrined in the club's DNA that midfielder Jack Colback revealed this week the date is the security code for the main entrance at the training ground. As Gus Poyet's team prepare to encounter an equally formidable City on Sunday afternoon, it is timely proof that there is no such thing as a lost cause in knockout football. "Sunderland playing Man City, it's almost an identical scenario to when we played Leeds," said goalkeeper Jim Montgomery, whose brilliant double save in the second half against Leeds guaranteed him iconic status on Wearside. Related Articles Johnson says cup win would beat City feats 25 Feb 2014 "Leeds were the dominant side in the land at the time and Man City are probably the best team now. We beat Man City and Arsenal on the way to the final, they were two excellent sides, and this team have beaten Chelsea and Manchester United to get to the final. "The similarities are there and I'm hoping history repeats itself. To beat top teams on the way to the final, it gives you a lot belief that you can win the final as well.

We were full of confidence before the game, people didn't realise how confident we were." Sunderland took the lead with just over half an hour played when Vic Halom chested down a corner from Billy Hughes. With centre-back Dave Watson making a nuisance of himself, Porterfield was able to control the ball and fire past Leeds goalkeeper David Harvey. Leeds poured forward in search of an equaliser and dominated, but Montgomery made a succession of wonderful saves, none more so than the double block which denied Trevor Cherry and then Peter Lorimer, the goalkeeper somehow parrying the latter's close-range shot onto the underside of the crossbar. It is a save often compared to Gordon Banks's famous leap to keep out Pele's header when England drew with Brazil at the 1970 World Cup, but Montgomery, who has a suite named after him at the Stadium of Light, remains as modest today as he was then. "People talk about the double save and I suppose it is part of Sunderland folklore and English football folklore," he said. "I don't think it was as good as Gordon Banks's against Brazil, but the memory is etched in my mind.

"I didn't really think about the significance of it at the time, the ball had gone out for a throw in and I had to deal with the next situation. It was only after the game when we did the post-match interviews and everyone was asking me about it. "I just remember parrying the first one and I knew I had to get off the ground and try to stop the second one. It was sort of thing I did in training all the time. There's no point making the first save if you let in the second shot. "It took two or three days for it to sink in. We had a game down at Cardiff City on the Monday night and another one on the Wednesday against QPR. The season wasn't finished so we couldn't really go out and enjoy ourselves. I'd love Sunderland to have something else to hark back to." Leeds, who were the cup holders, could not believe they had lost, but one of Sunderland's players, former England international Dennis Tueart, insisted the favourites were tense and nervous before kick-off, which fuelled their own self-belief.

"We were probably more confident after we had seen the pre-match interviews," said Tueart, who scored a stunning overhead kick for Manchester City against his hometown club Newcastle United in the 1976 League Cup final, the last time City won the trophy. "On the morning of the game, the teams were interviewed at the hotel. We were quite relaxed. One of the players, Billy Hughes, had one of those laughing boxes you could buy from a joke shop and during the interview he pressed it. We all creased up and fell about laughing and joking. "Conversely, Leeds didn't do theirs live, it was pre-recorded. Done Revie wouldn't allow any outside interference on a matchday and they were sat up straight in club suits. We were there in flares and kipper ties, they looked rigid and uptight. We played with freedom, but they were too regimented." There is a statue of Sunderland's 1973 cup winning manager, Bob Stokoe, outside the Stadium of Light. They might be erecting one of Poyet alongside him if Sunderland can repeat such a shock this weekend.

1973 FA Cup Run 1973 fa cup run Introduction "I should pack it all in. there'll never be another moment like it". All of Wearside agreed with the above sentiments of Bob Stokoe as Sunderland took on the best teams England had to offer and deservedly beat them all to lift the FA Cup. After 36 long years the most prestigious domestic knockout club trophy in football travelled to Roker Park. To place the triumph into perspective it is apt to return to the beginning and the arrival of a man who would be hailed as "the Messiah". Bob Stokoe swept into Roker Park as a man on a mission. After managerial spells at Charlton Athletic, Rochdale, Bury, Carlisle United and Blackpool, whom incidentally he had led to victory in the Anglo Italian tournament, the ex Magpie succumbed to initial defeat at the hands of Burnley. Sunderland then embarked on a run of 32 games, with only 5 defeats, culminating in a day that Wearside will never forget.

Not bad for a side that started in the doldrums, defeated by Stoke in the first League cup hurdle, and searching for only its 5th win in 18 league attempts, on his arrival. From 4rth bottom they would end the season 6th, although at first an outbreak of flu threatened to scupper the season altogether. It is also pertinent to note that on Stokoe's arrival Sunderland hadn’t bought a player for over 2 years. __________________________ Notts County 1 v 1 Sunderland 13 January 1973, Meadow Lane, Nottingham Attendance – 15,142 In the run up to the 3rd round game Sunderland made a double signing in the shape of Ron Guthrie and David Young however both were ineligible for the Meadow Lane encounter. Bobby Kerr was struggling to be fit with a troublesome back and Denis Tueart had to have 2 stitches inserted in an eye wound sustained in the league match the previous Saturday. Joe Bolton spent 3 days with the England Youth squad but made the trip to Nottingham. Ironically Sunderland met Notts County midweek prior to the game in a North Midlands League encounter.

At Meadow Lane Sunderland suffered a first half pounding and were lucky to be just 1 goal down at the interval. Les Bradd scored for Notts County after 29 minutes and County held the lead for 50 minutes. Montgomery made a fine save - a crucial one, Bobby Kerr said later, and then Watson headed in a cross from Tueart after 79 minutes play, having out jumped Needham to score a magnificent goal. Billy Elliott had restored Watson to his old place of centre back, but twenty minutes from the end at Meadow Lane, Bob Stokoe switched him to the attack. Sunderland were backed by upwards of 2,000 fans in Nottingham with a fleet of 40 coaches taking supporters from the North East. After the game bob Stokoe announced, amongst other things, that Derek Forster, Ritchie Pitt, Brian Chambers, Keith Coleman and John Lathan were available for transfer.

Notts County: Brown, Brindley, Worthington, Masson, Needham, Stubbs, Nixon, Randall, Bradd, Mann, Carter Sunderland: Montgomery, Malone, Bolton, Horswill, Watson, Tones, Kerr, Ashurst (McGiven), Hughes Porterfield, Tueart __________________________ FA Cup Round 3 – replay Sunderland 2 v 0 Notts County 16 January 1973, Roker Park, Sunderland Attendance – 30,033 Receipts - £13,280 Ron Guthrie and David Young took over from youngsters Joe Bolton and John Tones as a fast and furious cup tie saw Sunderland prevail at Roker Park. However similar to the Meadow Lane encounter Notts County were at their best in the first half primarily through the use of a man for man marking system and a twin attack of Randall and Bradd that caused the home side substantial problems on the night. In the 54rth minute Sunderland had the lead. Porterfield won the ball in midfield and pushed it through to Kerr who allowed the ball to run onto Watson.

Watson took on the defence raced to the edge of the penalty area and slammed a right foot shot across Brown inside the far post. The game was still on a knife edge but the matter was sealed just seconds from time when Kerr played the ball through the middle and with Needham hesitant after intercepting, Tueart stormed into the box to whisk the ball past Brown and in off the foot of a post. Manager Bob Stokoe was delighted with the performance of his side and the tremendous atmosphere created by the Roker Roar; “this was a great night for the lads and for the fans. Again we did not do too well in the first half, but the second half always matters most and we solved it all then”. Sunderland now had to wait for the outcome of the Doncaster Rovers v Reading cup tie, postponed from the previous Saturday, to find out their 4rth round opponents.

Sunderland: Montgomery, Malone, Bolton, Horswill (Lathan), Watson, Tones, Kerr, McGiven, Hughes Porterfield, Tueart Notts County: Brown, Brindley, Worthington, Masson, Needham, Stubbs, Nixon, Randall, Bradd, Mann, Carter Referee: J Rice, Preston Sunderland 1 v 1 Reading 3 February 1973, Roker Park, Sunderland Attendance: 33,913 Receipts: £13,650 (Roker Park Ground Record) Nearly 34,000 welcomed a smiling Charlie Hurley and Reading for the Fourth Round tie. Bob Stokoe predictably made only one change from the previous week’s side that defeated Millwall, bringing in Lathan at number 9 to replace the injured john Hughes. Hulme won the toss for Reading and decided to open the match attacking the Roker End. From the outset it was evident that the visiting keeper Steve Death was in inspired form. Reading took the lead after just 13 minutes when an in-swinging Cumming corner was back headed at the near post by Chappell the ball looping over Montgomery.

Sunderland drew level just 7 minutes before the interval. Lathan having won the ball from Hulme sent in a strong centre that was pulled down by Tueart. The winger squeezed the ball through the narrowest of gaps to finally beat Death. With only seconds of the match remaining Sunderland once more had the ball in the net. However this time Lathan was in an offside position and the strike was chalked off. In advance of the game at Elm Park Sunderland found out that they would, if successful, face either Liverpool or Manchester City away from home in the 5th round. The master of understatement Bob Stokoe was quoted as saying “it’s not the sort of game I would have picked”; although history would be with Sunderland whoever they faced as they had defeated City on their last visit to Maine Road and had also dumped Liverpool out of the FA Cup at Anfield in 1960.

Sunderland: Montgomery, Malone, Guthrie, Horswill, Watson, Young, Hughes, Kerr (Ashurst), Lathan, Porterfield, Tueart Reading: Death, Dixon, Youlden, T Wagstaff (Butler), Hulme, B Wagstaff, Cumming, Chappell, Bell, Hunt, Habben Referee: J Jolly, Manchester FA Cup Round 4 – Replay Reading 1 v 3 Sunderland 7 February 1973, Elm Park, Reading Attendance: 19,793 In the build up to the Reading game Sunderland asked Preston North End manager Alan Ball for permission to approach their trainer-coach, Arthur Cox, with a view to offering him a permanent place at Roker Park. Conversely Arsenal Manager Bertie Mee had asked Stokoe for permission to take the transfer listed Pitt and Coleman on loan to Highbury. It was planned to leave the duo down South after the game at Elm Park. Bobby Kerr, Dick Malone and Dave Watson all received treatment for knocks sustained in Saturday’s drawn cup tie, however they all travelled South as Sunderland left the North East with a party of 15 players at mid day on Tuesday 6 February.

John Tennick estimated that there would be 800 Sunderland fans at Elm Park for the game and subsequently it turned out to be more than double that as the red and whites ranks were swelled by exiles from The Home Counties and the Midlands. The Police would praise the Sunderland support for their partisan but excellent behaviour. As for the match itself, Watson scored within 80 seconds at Elm Park, a rifled shot that gave Death no chance, after good work by Tueart and Kerr. Tueart got one with a dipping shot and Kerr the third after 29 minutes, a fierce angled drive that went in off the bar. Cumming scored for Reading with a penalty on 78 minutes after Pitt had brought down Chappell. Sunderland would face Manchester City at Maine Road in the 5th round. After the Reading match a large contingent of Sunderland supporters gathered outside the players entrance chanting “Charlie, Charlie” until the Irishman and Roker hero appeared to sign some 200 autographs. “There was a lump in my throat. It was just as though he was one of us”, said john Tennick, the Transport Officer for the Sunderland AFC Supporters Association.

Bob Stokoe announced that Sunderland had signed Vic Halom from Luton Town for £35,000. Reading: Death, Dixon, Youlden, Carnaby (Butler), Hulme, B Wagstaff, Cummings, Chappell, Bell, Hunt, Habben Sunderland: Montgomery, Malone, Guthrie, Horswill, Pitt, Young, Hughes, Kerr, Watson, Porterfield, Tueart __________________________ Manchester City 2 v 2 Sunderland 24 February 1973, Maine Road, Manchester Attendance: 54,478 Manchester City had beaten the league leaders, Liverpool, in the previous round so they had little concern over whether they met Reading or Sunderland at home in the next round. At that time the three favourites for the Cup were: Leeds 4-1; Manchester City 9-2 and Arsenal 11-2. Sunderland, at 100 to 1, were to beat the lot. Vic Halom, signed from Luton for £35,000, made his debut in a tough game at Hilisborough a fortnight earlier in which Young was injured.

This meant that Dave Watson could once more revert back to centre half for the Maine Road game. Over 10,000 Sunderland fans made the trip to the North West by road and rail in what was considered the biggest exodus to follow the club since the marathon cup ties against Manchester United in 1964. The expected 45,000 (not all ticket) crowd at Maine Road was expected to be swelled by fans of The Red Devils following the postponement of the first division clash at Old Trafford between Manchester United and Crystal Palace due to a frozen pitch. At Maine Road before a crowd of 54,478, Montgomery switching direction saved from Marsh who already had his arms raised in triumph. After 16 minutes Towers scored when Summerbee made things dangerous by racing away up the right wing. Tueart was ruffling the City defenders and after a free kick against him, Mickey Horswill nipped in after 36 minutes to loft the ball over Donachie and then lift it past Corrigan. After this cheeky goal Sunderland were never behind in the Cup run. Sunderland received a tremendous reception from their travelling support as they took the field for the second half.

In the 68th minute Hughes kept his head when clear and scored. City equalised 18 minutes from time when an in swinging corner from Summerbee was turned in by an impeded Montgomery. Towers was sent off in the 83rd minute following a tussle with Horswill. Manchester City: Corrigan, Book, Donachie, Doyle (Mellor), Booth, Jeffries, Summerbee, Bell, Marsh, Lee Towers Sunderland: Montgomery, Malone, Guthrie, Horswill, Pitt, Halom, Hughes, Kerr, Watson, Porterfield, Tueart Sub: Chambers Referee: R Tinkler (Boston) FA Cup Round 5 – Replay Sunderland 3 v 1 Manchester City 27 February 1973, Roker Park, Sunderland Attendance: 51,782 Voted by supporters as the greatest game ever seen at Roker Park, this match provided the Sunderland fans with one of those rare “Roker Park occasions”. The Manchester City captain, Doyle, went on record as indicating there was a feeling in the City dressing room that it was to be their night. How wrong he was.

Sunderland were superb and none other than Rodney Marsh famously commented that Vic Halom’s Fulwell End screamer, after 15 minutes, was one of the best goals he had ever seen. Billy Hughes made it 2 v 0 just 11 minutes later, hammering a right foot drive past Corrigan with Donachie closing in. Roker Park went crazy. But you can never control all 90 minutes of any football game and within 10 minutes of the second half City had scored through Francis Lee. Sunderland's reaction was concise. They dusted themselves off and set about scoring a third. With only 12 minutes remaining Billy Hughes slid the ball home at the Roker End when Corrigan could only parry a shot by Tueart. Bob Stokoe had promised before the match that it would be a night to remember. It was just that.

Manchester City: Corrigan, Book, Donachie, Doyle, Booth, Jeffries, Mellor, Bell, Marsh, Lee, Towers Sunderland: Montgomery, Malone, Guthrie, Horswill, Pitt, Halom, Hughes, Kerr, Watson, Porterfield, Tueart Referee: R Tinkler (Boston) Sunderland 2 v 0 Luton Town 17 March 1973, Roker Park, Sunderland Attendance: 53,151 Receipts: £26,106 (Roker Park Ground Record) Luton town arrived on Wearside with a brilliant away record, and had beaten Sunderland at Kenilworth Road the week before in the League. For Jimmy Montgomery the game was a personal milestone as he made his 453rd league and cup appearance for the club, a record at that time. To mark the occasions the Sunderland Chairman Keith Collings made a special presentation of a Gold Watch to Monty prior to the game. Luton Town had dispatched Newcastle United from the FA Cup in a 4rth round tie at St James Park. The destroyer that day was John Aston.

Bobby Kerr won the toss for Sunderland and started the game attacking the Roker End. The crowd was again vast and Roker Park was once more treated to the almost forgotten spectacle of young children being passed down over the heads of those in front to take their positions at the front of the Roker End. For the opening 45 minutes it looked as though Sunderland might struggle to break down a resolute defence but all out pressure was rewarded 10 minutes into the second period with a tremendous headed goal by Dave Watson following a Bobby Kerr in swinging corner. With 8 minutes remaining Sunderland made it 2 v 0. Hughes took a corner kick on the left that was headed on by Pitt; Guthrie with his back to goal turned to sweep the ball wide of Barber from close range. Cup form was beginning to really manifest itself in the league with Sunderland embarking on a 6 match unbeaten run, which would see Roker Park, begin to fill with 40,000 crowds. Bob Stokoe had really started something and Wearside was simply frantic with excitement. Sunderland would face "The Arsenal" in the semi final of the FA Cup.

It was evident that it would take something special to stop this wagon from rolling all the way to Wembley. To reflect this the odds on Sunderland winning the famous trophy tumbled to just 12 to 1. Sunderland: Montgomery, Malone, Guthrie, Horswill, Pitt, Halom, Hughes, Kerr, Watson, Porterfield, Tueart Sub: Bolton Luton Town: Barber, John Ryan, Thomson, Shanks, Garner, Moore, Jim Ryan, Anderson, Busby, Hindson, Aston (Hales) Referee: J Taylor, Wolverhampton Arsenal 1 v 2 Sunderland 17 April 1973, Hillsborough, Sheffield Attendance: 55,000 Receipts: £82,500 (FA Cup Semi Final Record) Sunderland reached the club’s first semi final in 17 years, the last North East to do so. At Hillsborough Sunderland were uninhibited, the more eager side, and the one that wanted to win more. There was a belief not only amongst the players but critically amongst the fans that this was to be our year.

The match was all ticket with Sunderland receiving an allocation of 21,800 and a ballot system was adopted. Seat tickets were priced at £3 and £2 with standing available for 70p. With 3,800 season ticket holders it meant that just 18,000 tickets were up for grabs. On 28 March 1973 the Sunderland players entered a recording studio in Manchester to record a record “Sunderland All Of The Way”. Youngsters from the North East provided the chorus along with local comedian Bobby Knoxall. Bob Stokoe was dismayed to learn that Malcolm MacDonald, then a centre forward with local rivals Newcastle United had allegedly expressed a hope that “Sunderland will meet with glorious failure against Arsenal”. Sunderland club scouts Peter Doherty and Peter Croker had produced an extensive dossier on Arsenal in the run up to the semi final and the “battle plans” were drawn up at Templefields on the outskirts of Buxton where the Sunderland party was camped. Sunderland adopted an all white strip for the game at Sheffield with Arsenal changing to yellow and blue.

There was a good omen for the North East side in the run up to the game in that the last time the 2 teams had met in the FA cup, January 1961, Sunderland had dispatched The Gunners 2 v 1. Arsenal’s route to the semi final had been slightly less arduous than Sunderland’s, 6 games rather than 7, overcoming Leicester city, Bradford City, Carlisle United and Chelsea to take their place at Hillsborough. Extra tickets meant that about 23,000 Sunderland fans made the exodus for to Sheffield in 9 trains, over 200 coaches and an armada of 2,500 cars. The last train would leave Sunderland at 11.13am and arrive into Sheffield at 2.22pm. The scene was set. Ritchie Pitt had been recalled from loan when Young was injured and took up his place alongside Dave Watson. Arsenal were lining up a record third year in a row at Wembley. On their way to the ground the Sunderland Coach encountered slight flurries of snow which turned to light rain.

The teams emerged to a deafening roar and were piped onto the field by the Dagenham Girl Pipers. McNab won the toss for Arsenal and Sunderland started the game playing with the advantage of the wind. When Wilson just managed to tip over a drive from Horswill and fell awkwardly there was a stir in the crowd as if the unexpected could happen. A minute later a long ball, wind assisted, had Blockley, bothered by Halom, in a tizz. Wilson came out to help but Halom got the ball past both of them into the net. Sunderland kept making chances. Only George Armstrong was dangerous for Arsenal and Montgomery saved well from him at the foot of the post. Storey was booked for Arsenal and Halom for Sunderland. At half time Sunderland led 1 v 0. In the 55th minute Radford entered the field of play as a substitute for Blockley as Arsenal threw an extra man forward. The upshot was to leave themselves open to the counter attack. Nine minutes later Sunderland made it 2 v 0. A throw-in from Kerr, headed backwards by Tueart, drew Wilson, and Hughes back headed the ball on and over him into the net. Two nil.

Guthrie and Charlie George were both booked for an ugly challenge. With Arsenal now desperate for a foothold back into the game they piled forward. For them a reward came just 6 minutes from time when a left wing probe produced a shooting chance for George who hammered in a low drive which Montgomery could only get his finger tips too. The ball slowly but surely crossed the line. Argus reported that at the final whistle the travelling Roker Roar refused to move until their "Messiah" Bob Stokoe appeared. Taking the salute, he turned and went back to the dressing room - tears running down his cheeks. For the first time since 1937, Sunderland would compete at Wembley Stadium.

Arsenal: Wilson, Rice, McNab, Storey, Blockley (Radford), Simpson, Armstrong, Ball, George, Kennedy, Kelly Sunderland: Montgomery, Malone, Guthrie, Horswill, Pitt, Halom, Hughes, Kerr, Watson, Porterfield, Tueart Referee: D Smith, Gloucester Leeds United 0 v 1 Sunderland 5 May 1973, Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 100,000 In the run up to the final there was, as predicted, a huge scramble for tickets, with the lucky few getting hold of them in London on the day of the match. For the rest of the non season ticket holders there was the prospect of a ballot draw from the forms issued at the Carlisle United and Bristol City home games. Sunderland spent the days before the final at the Selsdon Park Hotel in Surrey where they sized up the formidable opposition they were about to face. Predictably Leeds United were quoted at 3 to 1 on to win the final with Sunderland at 5 to 2.

Sunderland’s youth Team were hoping to get the week off to a good start but they succumbed to defeat by local rivals Middlesbrough in the two legged Northern Intermediate League Cup Final. Trailing 4 v 5 on aggregate Jackie Ashurst had the chance to draw level with a penalty, but blazed the ball over the bar. For bob Stokoe the cup final would be his 16th cup tie of the season, 7 with his former club Blackpool. The Sunderland team would be the same as the semi final, bar the substitute. With Brian Chambers now an Arsenal player, David Young would be the 12th man for Sunderland. In Scotland the Cup Final was contested by Rangers and Celtic. The Gers triumphed 3 v 2 in front of 122,000 (the last of such big crowds in Scotland) with the winning goal scored by Tam Forsyth. In England the jubilee FA Cup final took place on 5 May 1973.

In years to come the question for every Sunderland fans was, "where were you at 3:31 pm?” With the President of the Football Association, HRH the Duke of Kent in attendance Wearside took on the might of Yorkshire and Leeds United. Quite simply The Peacocks were a "football machine" and were one of the most feared sides in Europe, with an international competing for every place. They had come a long way since their promotion in 1964. Oddly enough the 2 Managers found then on opposition sides again with Don Revie and Bob Stokoe having contested the 1955 Final when Newcastle United took on Manchester City. Sunderland had played Leeds United before in the FA Cup, 1926/27 and a 3 match marathon in 1967, all won by the Yorkshire side. In the run up to the final Sunderland had used 17 players. In the twenty days before Wembley Sunderland played eight League games, giving them a return, since Bob Stokoe took over, of 30 points from 22 games - promotion standard. The nation had taken Sunderland to their hearts. And the boys did not disappoint.

They were without awe of Leeds; they chased them, they looked for goals. Bobby Kerr won the toss for Sunderland and elected to defend the end where the Leeds United fans had massed. As if to prove the lack of fear on the part of Sunderland Ritchie Pitt scythed down Allan Clarke early on. Reputations counted for nothing in this game. After half an hour Harvey in the Leeds goal, lifted a lob from Kerr over the bar. The corner from Hughes was sent back into the centre by Halom, and Porterfield bringing the ball down with his left thigh turned a little and hit it hard with his right into the net. Montgomery's famous double save was in the second half when Jones switched play to Reaney on the right. Reaney's high cross to the far post was met by Cherry with a diving header which Montgomery lunging himself to the left knocked out, but only to Lorimer on the six-yard line. Lorimer hit it quickly and cleanly into the apparently empty space on the other side of the goalkeeper. Montgomery managed to throw himself that way and jerk the ball upwards with his right arm. It struck the underside of the bar and came out wide and Malone thumped it miles away.

It was now believable that Sunderland could win. Leeds built-up attack after attack, but Sunderland’s rear four were commanding. Every clearance was cheered. For some the tension was unbearable and they left their places and paced about under the stands, at home some people had to leave their television sets. Everyone except the unfortunate folk from Leeds wanted the final whistle to blow and when it did there was one of the greatest roars ever at Wembley. Bob Stokoe, his short white mackintosh billowing, raced across to Montgomery. Danny Blanchflower wrote that the game was the most emotional he had known. The Sunday Express said Wembley had never seen such ecstasy. The nation enthused. Back in Sunderland many people ran out; there was impromptu dancing; cars appeared, drivers just sounding their horns. The centre of the town became impassable. That night was just about the most joyous the old town had known. Don Revie, who took defeat well, said that Montgomery's save was the best he had seen, and that Sunderland’s strength and enthusiasm in the first half had unsettled his side.

Leeds United: Harvey, Reaney, Cherry, Bremner, Madeley, Hunter, Lorimer, Clarke, Jones, Giles, Gray (Yorath) Sunderland: Montgomery, Malone, Guthrie, Horswill, Pitt, Halom, Hughes, Kerr, Watson, Porterfield, Tueart Referee: Ken Burns, Stourbridge __________________________ Finale Sunderland became the first second division side to win the FA cup since West Bromwich in 1931. Burnley (1947), Leicester City (1949) and Preston North End (1964) had also tried but failed. An open top bus parade saw the red and white heroes greeted all the way from Carville to Roker Park. It was estimated that 500,000 people welcomed them home, with even horses and dogs decked out in red and white! To put the final win into perspective Leeds United subsequently travelled to Salonika, Greece where they were narrowly defeated by AC Milan in the cup winners’ cup final, after a dubious refereeing performance. They ended 3rd in the League, and the following season would be English champions.

An interesting postscript to the 1972/73 season is a look at the club Report and Accounts for the financial year ended 31 May 1973. It shows that despite the cup run and a final placing SAFC Limited still made a loss of £12,065 although this was a much improved situation on the previous year when a £103,080 loss was evident. Bearing in mind that in the next financial year we made a profit of £181,078 it is assumed that the income from the final and perhaps the semi final were not credited to Sunderland’s Bank Account by, presumably the football Association, until after 31 May 1973. Sunderland, Stokoe, Montgomery: football would never be the same again | Jonathan Wilson | Football | The Guardian Sportblog Sunderland, Stokoe, Montgomery: football would never be the same again Sunderland's FA Cup final victory over Leeds 40 years ago was a poignant one for my father.

There is nothing better than underdog stories and this was the greatest one of all The Sunderland manager Bob Stokoe, right, and Leeds United's Don Revie lead their teams out at Wembley at the 1973 Cup final. Photograph: Bob Thomas/Getty Images Friday 10 May 2013 06.50 EDT First published on Friday 10 May 2013 06.50 EDT Share on Messenger Close At a little before quarter to five on 5 May 1973, Ken Burns raised his left hand into the air, lifted his whistle to his lips and blew. Across Wearside, there was a scream of relief. At Wembley, Bob Stokoe got uncertainly to his feet, adjusted his trilby on his head and set off on an uneasy jog towards Jim Montgomery . On the terraces, fans who had been whistling desperately for the end for at least 10 minutes could at last celebrate. And amid it all, my dad always said, he felt a shaft of sadness as the realisation struck that football could never be this good again. My mam had no interest in football, she said.

She went down to London with my dad but made no attempt to get a ticket for Wembley, instead going shopping. A little before half past four, she found herself walking past a crowd on Oxford Street and realised they were watching the game through a TV shop window (the superb Tyne Tees documentary Meanwhile Back in Sunderland shows a similar scene outside Vision Hire in an otherwise deserted Sunderland town centre). She stopped to check the score and, of course, ended up anxiously waiting there in the rain until the end. My dad had been at every round. He'd had a season ticket since the end of the war. He'd served his time, witnessing Sunderland's descent. And that's one of the problems of having been one of the dominant forces in the game in the 1890s: everything thereafter is almost necessarily descent. He grew up on tales of the Raich Carter-Bobby Gurney side that won the title in 1935-36 and then, the following year, at last lifted the FA Cup, beating Preston in the final . (It's hard now to conceptualise just how overdue that must have felt.

I was in the British Newspaper Library in Colindale on Monday and skimming a Sporting Life from April 1899 I happened on a piece that spoke of "Sunderland's eternal wait for Cup glory", of "all the years of failure and near-misses". In 1899.) But what he saw was a team wasting tens of thousands of pounds in transfer fees, being found guilty of under-the-counter payments to players and then, in 1958, a first relegation. He saw the hope and broken promises of the 60s. By November 1972, there was a serious danger that the decline would take Sunderland into the third tier. When Allan Brown was replaced by Stokoe, Sunderland lay 19th and had won just four games all season.

What followed was one of the greatest stories in the history of football – people can cite Wimbledon in 1988 and of course in terms of the size of the club and where they'd come from there is something in that, but when I once suggested that to my dad, he slowly lowered his paper and muttered, decisively: "Finished seventh in the league that year." Sunderland's league form improved quickly and relegation soon ceased to be a serious threat while the Cup offered an absurd romance. When Sunderland beat Manchester City 3-1 in a fifth-round replay , City were 10th in the First Division. The previous year only a choke on the title run-in had cost them the championship. They were a bona fide giant. So loud was the Roker crowd that night that Malcolm Allison, City's assistant manager, returned to the ground the following morning to see if some sort of artificial amplification had been rigged up. "If you weren't there, you'll never know an atmosphere," my dad always said. In 1992, when my generation of Sunderland fans had our Cup run, we were left under no illusions that this was a weak simulacrum of '73.

My dad refused to go to the quarter-final replay against Chelsea in '92 (our equivalent of the City game; what I remember most about that match is the awesome silences at the pauses in each chant , he said because away fans had been given the Roker End and he didn't want to watch from anywhere else. Perhaps that's true – it was the kind of cussed thing he did – but I now wonder if he feared spoiling the perfection of his memory of the City match. When Sunderland beat Arsenal in the semi-final , the Gunners were second in the First Division and had won the Double only two seasons before. This wasn't grubbing through as Sunderland did in 2004, getting past nobody better than Sheffield United on their way to the semi-final; these were genuine giants they were beating, and the result, as Brian Moore noted, was that they "had lived of late on the rising passions of north-east football"; the impossible had begun to seem inevitable. Life, for everybody, began to revolve around Wembley.

Every shop was bedecked in red and white, every waking moment devoted to finding a ticket – and the queues, of course, were better in '73 than in '92, when my dad and I and some mates did overnight shifts in the streets round Roker Park, waiting 18 hours for our semi-final tickets. And so to Wembley and Leeds, managed by Don Revie, who had been part of Sunderland's relegation side in 1958. Leeds, it goes without saying, were giants, one of the two most successful sides in the country over the previous decade. They were the Cup holders, were in the Cup-Winners' Cup final and would go on to win the league the following season. And yet, in a sense, they were probably the ideal side for Sunderland to play. Their unpopularity guaranteed Sunderland the support of pretty much the rest of the country, while their professionalism came to seem like negativity and paranoia alongside Sunderland's relaxed approach, exemplified by Billy Hughes and the laughing box he kept setting off in interviews. There was a mass exodus from the north-east to London.

Meanwhile Back in Sunderland shows the scene at the station that morning, the sense of carnival clear in the damp dawn light. Among the vox pops, they interview a woman of about 50, a scarf wrapped around her neck, a huge rosette pinned to the lapel of her jacket. It is, apparently, an unstaged moment. "Oh yes," she says. "I'm off to see Jimmy, my son-in-law. He's Sunderland goalkeeper." "Do you think he's going to keep them out?" "Oh yes. He'll keep them out. He'll do that." "Are you thinking of a score?" "Well, I said 1-0. That's my idea. We're going to win, of course." I don't think my dad ever watched the match again, wanting to preserve his memories of the day as he experienced them (a terrible gamble, given the way Alzheimer's consumed him) but, having been born three years after the final, my knowledge of the game is only from video . I can't think of it without hearing Brian Moore's commentary, can't see the corner that led to the goal without reflecting on little Billy Hughes, moving more freely again: "Deep one again.

Watson is right in there, so too is Halom … Porterfield! … Oohhh, Porterfield has scored! … The underdogs are in the lead." Or Montgomery's double save: "Reaney, the high one in and Cherry going in and a great save and a goal … No! … My goodness I thought Lorimer had got that one." And, of course, the sense of disbelief only enhances what an extraordinary block it was. Up piped Jimmy Hill: "Well, we'd better look at it now because this is very vital," he said as the first replay was shown. "I must say it looked as though the ball had hit the staunchion [sic] at the back, let's look closely … underneath the bar and out! … We can look at it now from behind the goal as it turns out to be an incredible miss. There it is, Lorimer coming in … Oh, in fact it wasn't, what a save! That was a fantastic save!" So fantastic it took three viewings to realise what had happened – even if Monty was just fulfilling his mother-in-law's prediction.

And then, those epic final seconds, Stokoe pulling a blanket over his knees and pushing it off again, tension oozing through the screen (the greatest final seconds, obviously, the greatest ever whistling for time: "If you weren't there, you don't know what tension is."). Moore loses it completely, his syntax all over the place as he is caught up in the emotion of it all. "We have got one of the biggest upheavals of all time at Wembley … It seemed and the experts said that there was no way that Sunderland could win except that it looks as though they're going to … They came from the north-east with hope, and they're going to go back with the Cup … A great result for Sunderland and, with all due deference to Leeds, a great result for football." And it was. Too great, perhaps, for where do you go from there? Sunderland fans had taken out a vast emotional mortgage that, 40 years later, they are still paying back. There is nothing better in football, in sport, in life, than underdog stories and this was the greatest of them all. Nothing since has ever matched that, nothing possibly could.

If Sunderland do stay up this season, it will ensure their longest spell in the top flight since that first relegation in 1958. In a sense, this is the golden age – although it really doesn't feel like it. Even if some benefactor arrived and funded a charge to the Premier League title, could that ever have the same impact? I look on fans of clubs who have seen sustained success and it appears a tremendously wearying thing, a process less of glorious yearning for the golden prize than of grimly staving off decline. I used to regret that I hadn't been alive for 1973 but as the years go by – and it's with some horror I realise that longer has now gone by since Sunderland won the Cup than between their two Cup victories, that Stokoe was only six years older then than I am now – I become increasing grateful. Imagine I'd been six or seven when it had happened: without a history of failure, how could I ever fully have appreciated it? How could I ever have enjoyed football again?

My dad at least had 28 years of frustration to provide context, but afterwards, he, and most fans there, must have been left like Lazarus in the Browning poem, struggling to live on earth having witnessed heaven. That sadness he felt at the final whistle was the recognition that the moment of the greatest fulfilment is also the beginning of decline. Leeds United go back to their worst nightmare as they face Sunderland in the FA Cup - Telegraph FA Cup Leeds United go back to their worst nightmare as they face Sunderland in the FA Cup Sunday's clash against the Black Cats will revive memories of 1973 final when the underdogs stunned Don Revie’s side History repeated? Leeds face Sunderland on Sunday - in 1973 the Black Cats won a memorable FA Cup final Photo: GETTY IMAGES Follow When Leeds United last met Sunderland in the FA Cup , 29 million viewers tuned into that momentous 1973 final, Suzi Quatro serenaded Sunderland’s triumphant underdogs at their banquet on Park Lane but the pain ran so deep for Leeds that Eddie Gray could bring himself to mention the final in only four paragraphs of his fascinating 220-page autobiography.

For the 5,000 Leeds fans flocking to the Stadium of Light on Sunday there will be constant reminders of 1973 even without James Blunt chipping in on the car radio. Outside the ground, Leeds supporters will walk past the wonderful statue of Bob Stokoe, arms aloft, recording the moment at the final whistle when Sunderland’s then manager ran to embrace Jim Montgomery, the keeper whose double save from Trevor Cherry and particularly Peter Lorimer preserved a lead secured by Ian Porterfield. Engraved in the plinth is the tribute to Stokoe: “The Man. The 'Messiah’. The Moment”. Leeds’ vanquished manager, Don Revie, informed Match of the Day afterwards that Montgomery’s denial of Lorimer, tipping the ball up on to the bar, was “the greatest save I’ve ever seen”. That was some accolade given that Revie was the BBC’s co‑commentator in Guadalajara when Gordon Banks saved from Pele. Montgomery’s legend continues.

Lorimer often starts his after-dinner speech with “any Sunderland supporters in here?” Leeds fans will pass the club shop, offering replicas of Sunderland’s 1973 shirt (£25) and Wembley track jacket (£35, down from £40) but no sign of the 300-piece jigsaw puzzle of the photograph of Sunderland fans carrying a coffin with the memorial “Leeds Died 1973” on to the worn pitch at Roker Park as the League season concluded. Related Articles Which stars could move for free in 2015? 31 Dec 2014 As Leeds fans click their way through the away turnstiles, 69-72, and take up their seats in the Strongbow North Stand, they will see Montgomery down on the pitch, being presented to the crowd before kick-off along with Dennis Tueart, Dick Malone, Vic Halom, Ron Guthrie, Richie Pitt, Micky Horswill and unused substitute David Young from the Boys of ’73. Leeds fans will not enjoy all these reminders of a day when they were 8-1 on to win.

Since AFC Wimbledon were pitted against Liverpool in the third-round draw, there have been plenty of reflections on the shock of 1988 yet Vinnie Jones and company were seventh in the Football League First Division at the time. Back in 1973, Leeds were a First Division powerhouse and Sunderland down in the Second Division. This was the greater upset. Just running the eye over the team-sheet put in by Revie that May day in 1973 makes the point: there was David Harvey in goal shielded by centre-halves of the calibre of Norman Hunter and the supremely versatile Paul Madeley. Leeds had full-backs like Paul Reaney and Cherry. Midfield contained such experienced warriors as Billy Bremner and Johnny Giles. Gray was on the left. Leeds’ attack was graced by the likes of Lorimer, Allan Clarke and Mick Jones. Even the substitute who replaced Gray after 75 minutes was Terry Yorath. Class throughout. Sunderland captain Bobby Kerr lifts the FA Cup after beating Leeds in 1973 (Getty Images) Leeds were the holders, would be league champions in 1974 and European Cup finalists in 1975.

Sunderland were fighting to hold on to their players and indeed the Spurs manager, Bill Nicholson, went to the Sunderland hotel after the match and told Stokoe he would give him £200,000 for David Watson. Within 10 months, Tueart would depart for Manchester City. Yet Stokoe’s men played the game of their lives to thwart mighty Leeds, who were arguably guilty of complacency, of underestimating Sunderland. Leeds’ current head coach, Neil Redfearn, then a seven-year-old fan, watched in horror as television beamed in events from the south. Redfearn has spoken of the importance of the occasion on Sunday, of the opportunity for redemption, but the side placed 20th in the Championship should really be worrying about the immediate future, not redressing the past. Leeds have nothing to lose at the Stadium of Light and need to attack, to have a go, to give Billy Sharp a game.

If Redfearn is going to be removed from his post at some point by the impatient owner, Massimo Cellino, a principled football man might as well go out playing his way, with belief and more shape, certainly playing with more fight than in defeat at Derby County last Tuesday. Barring the likes of the feisty young Lewis Cook, one of the most alarming sights at the iPro Stadium was Leeds’ meekness when the opposition had possession. The club of Hunter and David Batty have forgotten how to win the ball. Leeds must go back to the basics that made them strong in the past, increasing commitment levels and unity. Facing opposition who inflicted the club’s worst indignity seems an apposite time for a new beginning. The diamond formation needs abandoning. Leeds do not possess an experienced holding midfielder to make the system work. Tommaso Bianchi does not seem to have the requisite strengths. Cook is very young, still only 17, and while he enjoys a tackle his merits seem better deployed when pushing forward. Cook will also need a break at some point. It remains unclear how much Cellino influences tactics or whether a diamond system clearly unsuited to the Championship really is Redfearn’s choice.

Leeds manager Neil Redfearn wants to develop his young side (Getty Images) Derby just raided down the unguarded wings. Leeds have to start playing with more width – if Cellino permits. After the final whistle at Derby, a Leeds fan queued quietly for Gray to conclude his radio verdict so he could have a photograph with him and show his daughter what a real Leeds winger looked like. Redfearn’s most illustrious predecessor, Revie, used to tell his players like Gray never to forget “the three Cs – courage, confidence and concentration”. These are qualities that Leeds urgently need to acquire again. Not that Revie would ever have contemplated the concept or limitation of being a “head coach” as Redfearn must contend with. For the Leeds supporters thronging into the Stadium of Light it must be impossible to evaluate whether Redfearn is doing a good or bad job. Leeds are undeniably on a poor run, with no wins in December, but Redfearn, a man who loves the club deeply, manages with one hand tied behind his back.

I talked to Redfearn at Derby and he spoke of his desire to develop this young side but also mentioned the agreement with Cellino that he would return to the Academy if things did not work out with the first team. Redfearn is passionate to get the first team right, mixing the youngsters he knows from the Academy like Cook, with foreign recruits parachuted in by Cellino and the sporting director, Nicola Salerno. But do these newcomers understand the rigours of Cup combat or the intensity of a relegation scrap? The head coach’s working relationship with Cellino seems ultimately intolerable. Redfearn has also been unfortunate to lose Stephen Warnock, the captain, to injury. January’s Championship fixture-list looks daunting, comprising Bolton Wanderers, Birmingham City, Bournemouth and Huddersfield Town. Leeds need to apply some jump-leads to their season. They will have to work hard to find them against their nemesis from 1973.

Question: When Sunderland won the 1973 FA Cup, under Bob Stokoe, who did they defeat in the final?
Answer: LEEDS UNITED