I spoke to an 18 year old Jordan Henderson outside the club shop on random weekday night, I said"all the best for the future" as we shuck hands and parted ways,when he had just broken into the first team at Sunderland."He said "Thanks mate,I'll do me very best". who knows what happened to him after that....
He cost us £200K, I didn't know that. Thomas Hauser from wiki: In Sunderland's 1989–90 promotion season Hauser scored six goals including both goals in a crucial 2–1 win against Brighton and Hove Albion on 24th February, 1990 at Roker Park. In scoring the equaliser in a 2–2 draw at Roker Park against Port Vale F.C. on 30th December, 1989 and only six minutes after coming off the bench against Hull City at Boothferry Park on New Years Day 1990, Hauser can lay claim to having scored Sunderland's last goal of the 80's and first goal of the 90's. Later that season Hauser went on to feature for Sunderland in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium coming on as a substitute for Eric Gates in front of a crowd of 72,873 on 28th May 1990. When Hauser replaced Gates he became the first non-British born player to represent Sunderland at Wembley.
It's funny, those headlines that stick in the mind. I remember the Echo's one time: Rampant Roker Slay Swindon Think we beat them 4-0.
Jamie Lawrence. We'd signed him from Cowes Sports on the Isle of Wight, who he'd apparently played for while doing time at Parkhurst. He made his debut coming on as a sub against Middlesbrough, which I think was on TV. I was 13 and he was due to make his first start against Luton on the Wednesday. I used to go with mates and their older brothers and we were all talking about his mad hair (dreads tied up on top of his head, years before Jason Lee made it popular) in the car on the way there. Stood in the Main Stand Paddock, one of his sliced clearances hit me which instantly made him my favourite player. He only played 4 times for us though. A few years later, when I started uni in Bradford, he was playing for Bradford City with equally mad hair (dyed purple this time).
Had an interesting chat today. In my office at home is all kinds of football and sports memorabilia on the walls. This includes my print of Ron Davidson's roker park. It just so happened I was sat in a position that this picture was behind me when we met in an online meeting. I met a chap I didnt know about some possible work deal. He immediately recognised it as Roker. I talked about my love affair and he said he was there in 87, when they came back to beat us 3-2, to condemn us to play Cascarino and co. I was there too. What I never remembered was it was an ex Sunderland man who equalised - Roger Wylde. I still had to look him up after our chat and struggle to remember him. Probably wont forget him now though. It was a nice chat nonetheless...
