Promotion squad key to Irwin’s top Cats
WHO would make your Sunderland best XI?
Star of the 1960s and early 1970s, Cecil Irwin has now selected his top team filled with the men he played alongside.
Boyhood Sunderland fan Irwin set a then-club record for the youngest debutant when he started, aged 16 years and 165 days, against Ipswich Town in September 1958.
The right-back stayed for 14 years, racking up more than 350 appearances – scoring just once – before leaving in 1972 to become player-manager of Yeovil Town.
Irwin was part of the side that won promotion from the Second Division in 1964 to end a six-year exile from the top flight.
Here he selects the best XI from his playing days at Roker Park.
JIMMY MONTGOMERY
I’ve got to pick Jimmy in goal. Everyone knows Jimmy for the massive part he played in the 1973 FA Cup final win, but he came into the team in the early 1960s and played every game when we won promotion from Division Two back to the top flight in 1964.
He went on to stay at Sunderland for a long, long time and the appearance record he set by the time he left still stands.
DICK MALONE
A lot of the players I’ve picked won promotion in 1964, but Dick was not part of that side.
He played right-back and was the man who went on to replace me in the side before I left in 1972.
Part of the 1973 FA Cup-winning team, Dick got forward down the right and was a good crosser.
COLIN TODD
I remember him as a youngster and I had never seen a kid so fast over 10 yards!
Colin was a defender and nobody got past him, he was a good passer of the ball and could read a game from a very early age.
He stayed for five years and was one of the best young talents in England and it’s a pity Roker Park never really saw Colin at his peak before he moved to Derby, where he won two league titles.
CHARLIE HURLEY
The man they called ‘The King’ – Charlie was the best of the best.
He was an excellent centre-half and he was loved by Sunderland fans, who voted him the club’s player of the century after he left.
Charlie was a huge character on and off the field, led by example and captained the 1964 team.
He was a great header of the ball, not only in defence but also at corners and free-kicks, which brought him quite a few goals.
JIMMY McNAB
Jimmy played in 1964 and was a very good defensive partner when Charlie went forward for corners.
He was a tough Scot and broke his leg a couple of times but he always came back strongly.
Jimmy, Len Ashurst and I all made our debuts on the same day funnily enough – Jimmy was 18, Len was 19, and I was only 16!
LEN ASHURST
Len was over on the left and we were a double-act – fans would sing ‘Cec and Len, the full-back men’ to tune of Bill and Ben!
He played in every game in the 1964 promotion season, and we were on opposite flanks through the 1960s and into the 1970s.
Len was hard as nails and never let anybody past him without a fight.
He managed Sunderland in the 1980s and took the club to the League Cup final in 1985.
GEORGE HERD
George was a very tricky player, opponents couldn’t get near him.
He never stopped working and he made so many goals for his teammates that season.
He was an intelligent player and he was capped for Scotland too.
JOHNNY CROSSAN
Another ever-present from 1964 and also the top scorer too.
He was very wise on the ball, knew where everybody was, and could always find the player in the best position with the right pass.
He was a great player, averaged a goal almost every other game in his five years at Sunderland.
BOBBY KERR
Bobby was a strong character and a strong runner, he kept going the whole game.
He played in front of me, he would cover me when the other team came forward, and we had a great understanding.
Bobby is best remembered for winning the FA Cup in 1973 but he as a really popular player and won promotion in 1976 too.
BRIAN CLOUGH
It was a really difficult decision, but I’ve included Brian ahead of Nick Sharkey here.
Cloughie was just unbelievable – his goal-scoring record was incredible, and as a manager and pundit he went on to become one of the biggest figures in the game.
Brian ended up with 54 goals in 61 league games for Sunderland, but he wasn’t greedy. He would pass if someone was in a better position – well, sometimes!
GEORGE MULHALL
On the wing, George was very fast and very clever – he made it so difficult for opposing defenders.
He was a good crosser of the ball and worked well with Johnny.
George came to Sunderland in 1962 and provided great service for Cloughie, but it only lasted a few months before Brian got that terrible injury.
George was a very important part of the 1964 team, and he was also capped by Scotland.