Mow: Cup glory can inspire us
TONY MOWBRAY has urged his play-off hopefuls to be inspired by the 50th anniversary of Sunderland’s FA Cup win this weekend.
The head coach loves his players to study football history and wants his current crop of kids to grab their own part in Mackem folklore.
Hero keeper Jim Montgomery – whose wonder-save helped second division Sunderland beat Leeds 1-0 in 1973 – watched Amad Diallo and the lads train this week ahead of their must-win clash with Preston.
The Black Cats also need Coventry and Millwall to slip up, and Mowbray said: “Jimmy is part of an iconic moment. In this city it will live forever.
“I give our young footballers a message. Make your own history.
“Can you score the goal that can take us to the Premier League?
“And then, in 10 years, we win the league and the Champions League – and the moment that got us there was your goal.
Future
“There is a chance for every young footballer to do that. I want them to love the game and be a part of history. Sometimes, being young, you can’t see the future.
“But your career is gone like that (snaps fingers). My debut... Newcastle United, St James’ Park against Kevin Keegan and Mick Shannon, 33,000 there. We drew 1-1, September 1982.
“It lives with me forever. Gone, whoosh. I tell them to immerse themselves in their careers.
“I still sit with Gary Pallister on my day off. He talks about Old Trafford, I talk about Sunderland. Why are we mates? We had success on a football field together.
“These lads can have mates for life from doing it here.”
Mowbray is focused only on winning at Deepdale and reaching the play-offs will be more than was expected. He said: “The feeling I get is generally that the fanbase is pretty pleased with the season.
“There should be an expectation Sunderland with 40,000 supporters will be strong in the division.”
On the 50th anniversary of their FA Cup triumph, Mowbray added: “I can remember sitting there as a nine-year-old watching the game.
“To see Ian Porterfield’s winner and Monty’s amazing double-save, it was an iconic moment in history.”