Sunderland are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their famous 1973 FA Cup triumph, when Bob Stokoe and his side became Wearside legends. The Rokermen became the last North-East team to win English football's most prestigious domestic cup competition when they beat Leeds United beneath the Twin Towers at Wembley on May 5 that year.
The team that brought the trophy back to Wearside is feted to this day, with players such as Bobby Kerr, Dennis Tueart, Jimmy Montgomery, Ian Porterfield, and Dave Watson, writing their names into the history of the club, the city, and the FA Cup itself. Victory over Don Revie's Leeds side provided the memorable climax, but Sunderland's Road to Wembley began in low-key fashion in January against Third Division Notts County, and ChronicleLive has been retracing their journey every step of the way 50 years on.
They needed two attempts to see off the Magpies in the third round, remembered in part one and part two of our series. Their fourth round tie against Charlie Hurley's Fourth Division Reading also went to a replay, with the initial tie ending in a draw at Roker Park as recalled in part three before they got the job done at Elm Park as recalled here in part four.
