Summer window

One of the comment's that still sticks in my mind was "Open the gates and he'll run straight through them". Can't remember if it was directed at Brian Usher though

 

Andy Kerr came down from Scotland having been a prolific scorer up there. He hardly scored at all for us and was tried as a defender. Without particular success.

 

Brian Usher was part of one of SAFC’s most popular teams that gained promotion in 63/64 the year after our epic cup ties over three games against Manchester United , the blonde winger that replaced Usher you could be thinking of was Mike Hellawell an English international we signed from Birmingham City . Ambrose Fogarty played on the right wing prior to Usher before he signed for Hartlepool United and if I am not mistaken fifty years later it is still their record transfer fee paid .For the record the promotion winning side generally lined up -Montgomery/Irwin/Ashurst/Harvey/Hurley /Mc Nab/Usher /Herd/Sharkey/Crossan/Mulhall .

 

He was a gymnast before football and puts that down to the arthritis in his hands. He told me he would bet the lads how far he could walk up the Fulwell End on them. And always took the money.

 

Happy days. I remember that team well. The Man. United replay at Roker Park was epic the ground literally overflowing despite the "Official" attendance figure. I ended up sitting on the running track.

 

Rusyn in training.....

 

That may have been Willy-the-feet-Mcpheat. Once he got his head down no-one could stop him. Trouble was, he didn’t know when to stop himself. Crack was, if you left the Fulwell end gates open, you’d have to collect him from the other side of the Wear Bridge.

 

That was one hell of a line-up in those days. Especially the half-back line.

 

Wasn’t that the one where the gates collapsed?

 

Seems to possess quite flexible feet

 

Bless him!

 

Who is the blonde lad?

 

Ben Crompton, u21 defender.

 

Yes you are right believe their was one fatality and crowd estimated at over 70,000 official attendance I think was 46,000 I was lucky enough to go to all three games , the school board man is still looking for me !

 

My Dad was in there when the gates came down, loads of people fell over, some bloke grabbed my dads hand and tried to pull him out, then said, sorry I cant get you out, my dads response was "You are going to have to as I am not letting go of your hand"

 

Correct, my mate came running back up the steps chased by thousands, he almost choked on his meat pie.

 

I seem to remember fans on the clock stand roof. Great view.

 

That's right Sandy I lived on south Tyneside and our local GPs daughter went to the match and collapsed and died outside the ground, she was only in her early twenties, her dad was never the same after that night.

 

The crack was that the only reason we lost that game was because Monty lost a contact lense. Did that really happen?

 

Bloody hell! That’s terrible.