Today is the 50th anniversary of Sunderland's famous FA Cup triumph - and Tony Mowbray has challenged his play-off chasing Class of 2023 to make their own mark in the club's history. Bob Stokoe's second tier side pulled off the biggest FA Cup final shock of all time in 1973 when they defeated the then-mighty Leeds United at Wembley to get their hands on the trophy and, half-a-century on, they remain the last North-East team to lift the most prestigious domestic cup.
The images of that day - Ian Porterfield's winning goal, Jimmy Montgomery's incredible double-save, captain Bobby Kerr on Dennis Tueart's shoulders clutching the cup, and Stokoe's dash in tracksuit, trilby, and mac, to congratulate Monty - are etched into Wearside folkore. Even for Teessider Mowbray they form part of his earliest footballing memories, watching the game at home as a nine-year-old with his family, harking back to a time when FA Cup final day was a special occasion for football fans everywhere.
"I had a dinner at the stadium this week, in the boardroom, with the lads from 1973 and their partners, and it was really enjoyable," said Mowbray. "There are some real good characters there.
