On This Day (2 April 1988) Sunderland Get Championship Campaign Back On Track – Just!
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The fallout from the York game seven days prior had been wide-ranging. Sections of Sunderland’s supporters had – rightly in many cases – been heavily criticised by the press, authorities and fellow supporters for the pitch invasions and scenes at Bootham Crescent after the controversial 2-1 defeat.
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And in some respects, it deflected attention from Denis Smith, who’d threatened to walk away from the club in the aftermath of the reverse to his former employers, due to some of the criticism he was receiving.
Sunderland’s form hadn’t been great at this crucial part of the season – 2 wins from 10, and 1 in the last 7 wasn’t the form of a team storming their way to the title – but the club still remained in an automatic promotion spot, and remained firmly focused on the task in hand as the team took another away trip, this time to relegation-threatened Grimsby’s Blundell Park.
Before the game, John MacPhail – who had probably more lower-division experience that anyone else in the playing squad – issued a rallying call to his teammates, and the supporters, too.
Most of our team haven’t played in these sort of games before, when sides are battling for all they’re worth to keep out of Division Four, but I have and I know how tough they can be.
We need six points from Grimsby and Chesterfield [who Sunderland were playing two days later, on Easter Monday]. and although we’ve been stuttering a bit lately, I think we’ll get them.
Everyone is disapoined that we’re not bubbling like we did earlier in the season, and the last thing we need is to become nervous when we’ve come this far.
The way decisions have gone against us is unbelievable. Bad luck seems to be following us around, but I think it just needs a couple of quick wins to put everything right.
Smith gave new signing Colin Pascoe his first start, after a goalscoring debut from the bench the previous week at York – Pascoe came in for fellow debutant Doug Maguire; the on-loan Celtic man failing to impress at Bootham Crescent. The only other change to the team from the previous week was Paul Lemon replacing Steve Doyle, who had been given an additional three-match ban by the FA after his sending off at Preston back in February.
Sunderland started the game strongly, with Gates and Gabbiadini threatening – but it was future Sunderland Midfielder Shaun Cunnington who had the first meaningful effort on goal, volleying over the bar under pressure from John Kay.
Kay himself had a wayward pot shot at goal at the other end, and the Grimsby keeper Steve Sherwood made a miraculous save to tip Eric Gates’ deflected effort past the post.
Gates and Pascoe were linking up well, and created another shooting opportunity for Gates, who missed the target. But just before the interval in what was a pretty scrappy game approached, the lads too the lead.
Lemon was tripped on the edge of the box, and as the ball fell to Gabbiadini the referee waved play on. With his back to goal and surrounded by defenders, Marco somehow managed to find space to turn and fire in a low drive, which Sherwood couldn’t get to. Gabbiadini’s 19th goal of the season – not bad for someone who’d just turned 20 a couple of months earlier.
After half time, Sunderland rode their luck – and thanks to a recent rule change kept 11 men on the field. An awful back pass from Gordon Armstrong put Grimsby striker Marc North in the clear. Gary Bennett chasing back chopped him down just outside the box.
Today, it would be an automatic red card, and in previous seasons it would have been too. However, the rules at this stage were that offence was a yellow, and while it was a decision that was to the letter of the law, it did not go down well with the home fans. To add insult to injury, North was stretchered off, game done.
The rest of the game was a scrappy affair – Cunnington was booked for a late challenge on Armstrong, while smart action from Hesford denied Stubbs a goal. With 15 minutes left, Frank Gray came on for Lemon as Smith switched to five at the back to protect the lead, an injury to Agboola saw Cornforth introduced, and the lads went back to their more familiar 4-4-2.
Gabbiadini came close again in the dying moments, but Grimsby fended of the attack – and Sunderland held firm to claim all three points.
After the game, Smith was relieved – although was still demanding more from the squad.
That was more like it. Pascoe and Gates were tremendous, and our central defenders were outstanding, Gary Bennett pulled his finger out and started to play like a skipper, and John MacPhail’s heading was unbelievable.
Gabbiadini took the goal well, was strong on the ball and turned brilliantly, but although he has scored five goals in our last seven games, he can still do better and he had a couple of chances today he should have scored with.
Sunderland returned to the top of the league with the win – and headed home with less than 48 hours counting down until they faced Chesterfield in a vital Easter Monday clash.