On This Day (3 May 1986) ‘This time next year, Rodney!’ (2024)

It’d be an understatement to say the McMenemy experiment hadn’t gone exceptionally well, however it wasn’t just on the field where Sunderland’s troubles lay. Off the pitch, chairman Tom Cowie was at loggerheads with ‘rebel director™’ Barry Batey, and the whole thing was, quite frankly, a mess.

And, as the last game of a horrendous season rolled around, we needed three points to guarantee our survival in the second division, and avoid the ignominy of a first-ever relegation to Division Three.

Regardless, we’d record our lowest-ever league finish, but avoiding a second successive relegation was all that truly mattered – and the fact it was in our own hands was a testament to something resembling a run of decent form.

Out of 41 games before we faced a final day clash against mid-table Stoke, we’d managed 47 points – 10 of which had come in our last six games. A 2-0 win at home to Shrewsbury, thanks to second half goals from Eric Gates and Mark Proctor, had put matters firmly into our own hands, and with Fulham already claiming bottom spot, it was Middlesbrough, Blackburn and Carlisle – managed by Bob Stokoe – who were battling it out with us for the final two relegation spots.

On This Day (3 May 1986) ‘This time next year, Rodney!’ (1)

Chairman Cowie had been at the centre of an off-field battle with Batey for a while and, having overseen the club’s worst season ever, was under significant scrutiny. Press rumours had reported he was on the verge of selling the club to another club’s chairman, which he strenuously denied.

That’s a load of rubbish. I have not offered my shares to the chairman of another club.
Let me make it clear, I would not sell to anyone from outside. When I do sell, they will go at cost. I will make no profit whatsoever.

Sunderland went into the fixture against the Potters with confidence buoyed after the three points on Tuesday – however only victory would guarantee survival.

Last-game nailbiters are nothing new of course, and incredibly this was the ninth time in 12 seasons the club’s destiny had been confirmed on the season’s final day.

Barry Venison said on the morning of the game:

The season isn’t a real season at Sunderland without a nail biter at the end!
They aren’t enjoyable games because everyone is under so much pressure, and it seems we have had more than our fair share. of them in recent years.
At least we know we have the crowd on our side. I coulnt’ believe the suport we got on Tuesday. It makes you wonder wht it would have been like if we’d been at the top of the league all year instead of the bottom.

The game against Shrewsbury had seen around 15,000 turn up at Roker, and 5000 more were in attendance for the season’s finale.

Thankfully, Andy Dibble – who’d been in exceptional form and had been a key factor in the fight for survival – got over an injury to play, as did Mark Proctor and Howard Gayle.

On This Day (3 May 1986) ‘This time next year, Rodney!’ (2)

And it was Proctor who settled the nerves early on, slotting home a second-minute penalty won by Eric Gates.

And it was ‘won’ by Gates, who was never shy about ‘feeling contact’. Stoke’s player manager, Mick Mills, was a former teammate of Gates’ and said after the game:

It was never a foul. Eric knows how to win penalties and how to go down. It’s just that referees are not up to the necessary standard to spot what is going on.

With the Roker crowd roaring the team on, Sunderland produced a dominant spell of attacking football, and midway through the second half, Frank Gray scored a free kick to double the lead, which ended up being enough to secure a 2-0 win, and ease the nerves.

On This Day (3 May 1986) ‘This time next year, Rodney!’ (3)

Winger Howard Gayle had been subbed shortly after Gray’s goal and headed straight off down the tunnel, and as the team did a lap of honour after the final whistle, he was conspicuous by his absence.

I was in the bath and didn’t know the players were going around the pitch saluting the fans.
I thought it was disgusting to do a lap of honour.
Even if I had known, I wouldn’t have joined them. We have done nothing.
We have only just stayed in the second division. It’s not as if we have stayed in the first division or actually won something.

As it turned out, Boro and Carlisle both lost – the Cumbrians went down 3-2 to Charlton after leading 2-0, meaning the lads were safe, four points ahead of Blackburn and Carlisle, and five ahead of Boro.

However, both Carlisle and Blackburn still had a game to play – Carlisle were at Oldham and Blackburn were at home to Grimsby on Monday night, and it was a straight shootout between the two, although Blackburn’s goal difference put the Lancastrians in pole position.

In the immediate aftermath, Lawrie McMenemy was seemingly absorbed of any blame for the club’s fifth-bottom finish. The manager was still held in very high regard, with both Arsenal and Tottenham said to be keen on attracting him to London, while continental clubs were rumoured to be interested in taking him overseas.

All being well, I will be here when the new season starts.
I don’t really want to look to far ahead, because we should be savouring the win over Stoke.
But I am as proud to be manager of Sunderland Football Club today as I was the day I walked out of the doors.
All of the basics are here to be a very big club.
We have finished fifth bottom and you can’t take an awful lot of pride in that.
But in some ways, fifth bottom to us is as good as fourth top, At least we have ended the season on a high note.
The secret is, of course, to build on it.
Unlike other teams in this division, we can just stay up and then go on to win the title next time.