Sunderland beat Manchester City 3-1 in the first competitive match at the brand new Stadium of Light. What a brilliant evening it was! I remember the day well, as I visited our new stadium with my brothers.
Of course, there had been a lot of discussions and heartache to get us to this point.
The last home game at Roker Park — 3-0 win against Everton — in hindsight, was much akin to visiting a dearly respected and loved relative who was very ill, and as I tore my paper ticket from my purple season ticket book on that day, I knew I wouldn’t be coming back.
Yes, there was to be a final send off against Liverpool (the first team we’d ever played at Roker) but I must admit that I didn’t attend the funeral. Looking back, I wish I had, but at the time, I felt it was a thankless task that would only be more upsetting.
Throughout those months, I would drive the twelve miles from North Shields to the old Monkwearmouth Colliery on almost a weekly basis to watch the development of our new cathedral. The ground work was slow going, where there was almost perceptively no progress until the walls started going up, and the new stadium began to take shape.
I was also there for the opening invitation game against Ajax, where despite a relatively disappointing 0-0 draw, that wasn’t really going to matter as all eyes were drinking in our new surroundings, mouths open, pride in our hearts, at our spanking new, modern arena — and of course, the mighty Status Quo beforehand, with their helicopter landing on the pitch as Francis and Rick belted out a tune or two.
Then came the real business and that first league game of the season in what’s now the Championship.
It was a sell out. The buzz and excitement were tangible and the “Roker Roar” had indeed, despite some reservations, been transported from the old ground. Transported body and soul, in every voice and throat that attended. For of course, the club and the roar, is a physical embodiment of all of us, together, as one.
The team didn’t let anyone down. They opened the new home in a blaze of glory during a game that had been brought forward to a Friday night. The sparkling performance highlighted what was to come when most people got their first glimpse of what was then a new strike force of Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips. Who knew?
They both grabbed a goal apiece, although it was the third goal from Lee Clark that caught all the plaudits and praise. What was most pleasing to see was that the team were up for a fight, and they went about their business in a competent and effective manner. A much-needed lift for the fans after their almost no-show in the first game of the season away at Sheffield United the week before.
Peter Reid disbanded the 4-5-1 from that game and went for the conventional (and much- used that season) 4-4-2 with Phillips partnering Quinny.
After Lionel Perez was forced to make two or three early saves, the breakthrough came after a poor back pass from City defender Tony Vaughan to goalkeeper Martyn Margetson.
Quinn spotted the error and beat the City goalkeeper to the ball, firing low and hard and wide of his body into the corner of the net. The first ever goal at The Stadium of Light. The rapturous, ecstatic roars…I can still hear it now.
City pushed to get back into the game, but defender Alan Kernaghan was given his marching orders after a second booking for fouling Phillips.
Manager Frank Clark tried to reshuffle by taking off attacker Uwe Rosler and bringing on another defender in Jason Van Blerk. The Lads also had to reshuffle as Dicky Ord had to go off with a broken nose, being replaced by Darren Williams.
The home side finished the half well, with Steve Agnew, Quinn and Micky Gray coming close, and the second half started with the Black Cats being even more enterprising, with Chris Byrne trying to get a shot away at almost every opportunity.
Yet it was City who nearly levelled the game, with a brilliant free kick from Georgi Kinkladze which beat Perez easily, but thundered off the woodwork.
Sunderland continued to attack every time they had possession, but against the run of play, City got their equaliser in the seventy fifth minute.
Kinkladze wound his way into the box and was taken down by Kevin Ball. Kinkladze — who else? — then strode up to take the kick which he powered low and hard beyond the reach of Perez, despite the Frenchman diving the correct way.
The agony was almost palpable as the fans began to think their party opening was going to end in an anti-climax. But then, as now, the crowd got behind the team, and roared them on, and lifted them again, as we retook the lead with a goal out of nothing.
Soon after a great save from Perez to deny the-then City man Nicky Summerbee, Gray sent in a cross which Quinn headed back into the danger area. Ball swivelled and shot, only for Margetson to parry, unfortunately for him, into the path of Kevin Phillips, who volleyed from close range.
The magnificent night was rounded off in fine style by Clark in the last minute, dribbling his way past three or four City players before firing a low, grass-cutting shot past the hapless Blues keeper. Superb!
The final whistle was welcomed by a huge roar by a crowd that had been thoroughly entertained and couldn’t have hoped for a better curtain opening to competition in the new fortress. And that’s what it seemed like, even after one game. This was the chance to make our new ground a fortress that no-one relished coming to.
15 August 1997
Stadium of Light
Attendance: 38,827
Sunderland 3 (Quinn 16’, Phillips 83’, Clark 89’)
Manchester City 1 (Kinkladze (pen) 75’)
Sunderland: Perez; Makin, Ball, Melville; Gray, Clark, Ball; Agnew (Aiston), Ord (Williams), Quinn; Phillips, Byrne