With both clubs finishing the previous season in mid-table and level on the same number of points, Derby County and Sunderland’s 1951/1952 opener seemed like it could be an intriguing affair between two evenly matched sides.
It was the second season running that the Lads were facing the Rams in their first fixture and they went into the game hoping to repeat their 1-0 Roker Park victory of a year before.
In the meantime, the teams had also played out a cracker in December 1950 that ended with the hosts winning 6-5, giving Bill Murray’s men a painful memory to avenge, whilst there was a friendly rivalry between ex-teammates to be considered as well, with former Sunderland man Ken Oliver coming up against his old pals including Tommy McLain, who he had first encountered when they served in the RAF together in Sri Lanka during World War II.
Oliver proved to be one of Derby’s stronger performers in the end, although McLain came away the happiest, scoring what was to be his only goal in Sunderland colours — and a beauty at that.
Whereas it was a rare strike for the half-back, it was one of several in the match itself as another end-to-end affair ensued, and it brought the visitors level following a lightning start from County that had initially caught their opponents cold.
Although he’d been a full-back during his playing days, defensive issues were often Murray’s undoing once in charge. His players possessed plenty of threat at the other end of the pitch however, so conceding an early header to Johnny Morris and then seeing Hugh McLaren find the net from a tight angle, whilst not ideal, wasn’t felt to be match-defining either.
Sure enough, Len Shackleton got Sunderland back into things before the break when he pounced on a scuffed clearance, and when Jackie Stamps blazed a penalty wide seconds later, Wearside confidence grew further.
Ten minutes into the second half was when McLain had his moment, bending in a spectacular thirty-yard effort, with another wonder goal then coming a little later.
It was Billy Bingham that got it, and after racing towards goal and finishing his run with a deft touch to catch out goalkeeper Ray Middleton, he was even awarded a round of applause from the home crowd. Whether Middleton was as gracious though is not clear from the match reports, despite being from Boldon and the younger brother of former Sunderland man Matt Middleton.
Derby might’ve enjoyed the majority of possession and created the higher number of chances, yet it was Sunderland that looked most clinical. With time running out, there were fears that they would drop a point as Morris drew the game level with a powerful shot, but the red and white attack fired up again late on, with Ivor Broadis setting Trevor Ford up for a dramatic winner.
Ford had been on the scoresheet the last time the sides had played, and whilst this wasn’t quite as big a goal-fest, the outcome was much more palatable for the Welshman and his colleagues.
Saturday 18 August 1951
Football League Division One
Baseball Ground
Attendance: 24,676
Derby County 3 (Morris 4’, 79’, McLaren 30’)
Sunderland 4 (Shackleton 39’, McLain 55’, Bingham 67’, Ford 87’)
Sunderland: Mapson; Hedley, Hudgell, McLain; Hall, A. Wright, Bingham; Broadis, Ford, Shackleton; Duns.