When Shearer played for Sunderland...
TOON HERO REUNITED WITH MAN WHO GAVE HIM START
ALAN Shearer’s path to footballing greatness at Newcastle United began with someone called Mr Sunderland.
And the legendary striker was reunited with his ironically-named former football coach for the first time yesterday.
The football legend returned to his old school and recalled his earliest memories, kicking cans and stones around in the playground.
Shearer, who played for the under-nine team at Grange First School in Gosforth, scoring in his first game, paid a visit to the site of his first goalscoring exploits to open a new building.
And the former England captain thanked his former sports teacher Graham Sunderland for helping him on the way to his recordbreaking career.
He said: “You couldn’t write that script, could you? A teacher called Mr Sunderland who encouraged me so much.
“It’s great to be back, it’s changed a hell of a lot since I was a lad and I used to live only half a mile from here on the Park Avenue estate.
“My memories are of playing football in the yard, whether it was with a can or a stone, this is where it all started.
“Football was always a passion of mine since I was young and Mr Sunderland, who I recognised today, was sure that I should play football, so Mr Sunderland put me on the right path.
“I will always be eternally grateful to the school and its teachers for the great start they gave me to my education and first steps towards my football career.”
Mr Sunderland, now 71 and who later became headmaster, said: “He was an average pupil and he was in the school football team, but there were other players at that time who appeared to be equally good as he was.
“It was a bit later on when he went to middle school where he really came on.
“I’ve not spoken to him since he left. I’m pleased to be back in my old stomping ground where I was both a teacher and later head. Alan has made us proud.”
Shearer chatted to current Grange pupils as he opened a new £2.5m building at the school he attended from 1974 to 1979.
Current head Matt Ward thanked Shearer for coming to mark the official opening. He said: “We are so pleased that Alan Shearer, our most celebrated ex-pupil, was able to come and open our new buildings and mark this exciting time for the school.
“We tell all our visitors that this was Alan Shearer’s old school and are therefore especially thankful that he could be here to open this exciting next chapter for the school.”