Sunderland’s 1979/1980 promotion campaign was built largely on the back of some excellent home form, with the visit of Jock Wallace’s high-flying Leicester City proving to be another positive on the Roker record.
Both teams were battling it out near the top of Division Two and would eventually go up at the end of the season, so to take a point off the Foxes was a big step — particularly so given that the Lads came under some intense pressure in the final half an hour.
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Although the match ended goalless, both sides carried a threat and enjoyed spells where they were in the ascendency, with the hosts able to put together some of their best attacking play in months.
It was only the performance of visiting goalkeeper Mark Wallington that stopped them running away with the game before the break, and whilst his opposite number Chris Turner also had plenty to do, the Foxes wouldn’t have had much cause for complaint had the best home record in the Football League been enhanced by another Sunderland victory.
Turner had just been handed a national Robinson’s Barley Water ‘Young Player of the Month’ award (including an inscribed silver salver valued at £100 plus a cheque made out for £250 to a charity of his choice) and seemed to be full of confidence when he made a crucial early save that sparked his teammates into life.
Soon, it was Sunderland threatening a goal, with Kevin Arnott and Jeff Clarke twice putting Wallington to work before he had to take emergency action to prevent a badly-hit backpass from Larry May from creeping in.
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Pop Robson — who on the Friday had been given a gold watch for recently making his 550th appearance in the Football League — was having a dangerous afternoon.
During the presentation, his manager Ken Knighton waxed lyrical about the forward’s professionalism and determination, and Robson responded with an excellent display, his next involvement seeing him put a wicked low cross along the goalline that his strike partner John Cooke was just a fraction from turning over.
Robson and then Shaun Elliott were next to test Wallington as the chances continued after the break, and even when the stopper’s handling did let him down, prompting him to drop a cross in the 54th minute, Claudio Maraongoni was unable to make anything of the subsequent scramble.
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Wallington had regained his composure when another bout of pinball broke out in the final seconds, finally smothering the Lads’ last opportunity, whilst in the meantime it was Turner that had been on alert.
He was also full of praise for Steve Whitworth when the former Leicester man did well to intercept a through ball intended for Gary Lineker, and then made his own intervention to block an Andy Peake attempt when the visitors looked to snatch a winner of their own.
Although unsuccessful in finding one, they’d at least contributed to one of the more entertaining 0-0 draws and both sides were able to come off the pitch feeling buoyed by their efforts against stiff opposition, and ultimately being able to keep them out.
It later emerged that prior to kick off Gary Rowell, who wasn’t expected to feature anyway, had been sent away from the ground by Knighton after recently submitting a transfer request.
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Rowell himself had already stated that his preference was to stay at his boyhood club and would only agree to move if he was unable to force his way back into the team in the coming weeks, but had he ended up witnessing the match, his fears of remaining on the fringes may well have grown.
Sunderland looked very sharp indeed and whilst Rowell was then introduced from the bench in the next game, had proven themselves capable of clicking whether their talisman was involved or not.
When it was put to Wallace — described as being as “polite as a jagged bottle” by one local paper on the following Monday — that the hosts had shaded things, he grew rather dismissive but the evidence was there for those on the terraces to see, and few supporters were surprised when the two clubs did what they did in May.
Saturday 8 March 1980
Football League Division Two
Roker Park
Attendance: 29,487
Sunderland 0
Leicester City 0
Sunderland: Turner, Whitworth, Clarke; Hindmarch, Hinnigan, Arnott; Elliott, Marangoni (Dunn 69’), Cummins; Cooke, Robson
