On This Day (29 March 1986): Loan Stars Do Their Bit At Troubled Roker

The start of the 1980s was a time of great promise at Roker Park, yet the second half of the decade was to see Sunderland slide into oblivion. Promoted in 1980 and with a promising squad full of youthful talent being cultivated in the years that followed, it seemed for a while as if the sky was the limit, until sadly a disastrous 1985 saw the foundations being wiped away. With managers Alan Durban and Len Ashurst both moved on by Tom Cowie, the owner turned to Lawrie McMenemy to provide an expensively put together solution only to see the collapse gather pace, and when Bradford City arrived on Wearside they found their opponents to be in a bad way.

Winless since the visit of another West Yorkshire club two months earlier, when Leeds United were brushed aside, Sunderland looked to be well short of what Division Two required despite starting the campaign as a promotion favourite following their relegation from the top-flight. The Bantams meanwhile had come into the second tier from the opposite direction after winning the Division Three title and when the two sides met on New Years Day 1986 they had ran out comfortable winners. Since then the Lads had been further weakened by the departure of one of their star men, Nick Pickering, whose hattrick had sealed the points against Leeds before he was whisked away by Coventry City, and whilst McMenemy had since been able to secure a couple of additions one was the cut price Steve Hetzke and the others were only on loan.

Back from a short term injury and playing in goal was Luton Town’s Andy Dibble, while on the bench for the first time was Tony Ford – a deadline day temporary arrival from Grimsby Town two days earlier. He had to wait until the second half to be introduced but waiting on the bench did not make pretty viewing, with the visitors dominating before the break. Dibble was kept busy throughout, with his own men causing him just as many issues as the opposition with a string of unforced errors.

Headers from Eric Gates did see Sunderland go close on a couple of occasions, the second of which ended with a goal line clearance by Peter Jackson, yet Bradford could have just as easily scored themselves despite the early withdrawal of Don Goodman, who had been an injury doubt beforehand and was replaced by Ian Ormondroyd in the first ten minutes. They looked just as threatening after changing ends too and found themselves breaking the deadlock shortly before the hour, but while nobody could argue that Bradford didn’t deserve the advantage, the nature of the goal was hotly disputed. A through ball from Ormondroyd sent Mark Ellis clear and despite strong appeals for offside the officials let him find the target.