On This Day (12th May 1980): Sunderland’s Promotion Secured in Style Against the Hammers

06 September 1980 - Football League Division One - Leicester City v Sunderland - Kevin Arnott of Sunderland. (Photo by Mark Leech/Getty Images) | Getty Images Sunderland went into this game in fourth position in the Second Division on fifty-two points. The teams above us had played all their games and could do no more but wait on us playing our final game at Roker Park against the West Ham.

With two points for a win (three points would be introduced in 1981/82) Leicester City were champions and could not be caught. Birmingham were second on fifty-three points, the same points as Chelsea in third position on goal difference. Whatever the result of this final game, Birmingham were promoted.

So it was Chelsea who were sweating on the result of this game. The irony of being in this situation with Chelsea was not lost on some of our older supporters. In 1962/63 it had been ourselves who had to wait and hope that Chelsea would not win their last game against Portsmouth at Stamford Bridge (played after every other team had finished their league programme in the division).

Chelsea won seven – nil, they went up and we stayed down with the same points but an inferior goal average to the Blues. To rub salt in this particular wound, had we beaten Chelsea in our final game of the season at Roker Park we would have gone up instead of them. 62,000 fans turned up anticipating promotion in fine style, but we fluffed our lines and Chelsea won a horrible game by an ugly goal.