FLYING FINALE WINS BLACK CATS PROMOTION
Two years after relegation and subsequently losing three of their brightest stars, Sunderland climbed back to the top flight thanks to a winning four-match run-in after OOH Lincoln had produced an incredible sequence of victories to put themselves in pole position.
For Lincoln, who had been Northern Division runners-up in each of the previous two seasons, there was to be no third-time lucky in what was a topsy-turvy title race.
Sunderland had finished third in 2007-08 following relegation and the departures of England captain-to-be Steph Houghton and goalkeeper Carly Telford to Leeds United, while fellow international Jill Scott had moved to Everton 12 months earlier.
Despite those losses the Black Cats still had young talent in abundance, including the likes of future Lionesses Lucy Bronze, Lucy Staniforth and Demi Stokes.
And with the additions of England international midfielder Kelly McDougall, signed from Everton, and Vicky Greenwell, brought across from Newcastle United, the squad had a good balance heading into the 2008-09 campaign.
Central defender Gemma Wilson remembers: “Kelly and Vicky brought that little bit of experience. I think I was probably the most experienced in the group before that, and I wasn't even 21! It was also the breakthrough season for Lucy Bronze and Lucy Staniforth, and also Jordan Nobbs, who started playing part way through the season when she turned 16.
“Jordan had this presence about her, where she just created time, she never looked flustered, she never looked rushed, and she could absolutely pick out a pass. The combination of her and Kelly, who added that little bit of maturity in the middle, and the youth, enthusiasm alongside the raw talent of Jordan - it really worked.
“Lucy Bronze, I’m not sure she really knew her best position at that stage but she had so many qualities and from the point of set pieces, Lucy ‘Stan’ could whip a cross in with pace, which then people like Guttsy (Nicola Gutteridge), who was fearless, could attack. Forwards Sarah Danby and Sophie Williams were left-footed, in fact we had a balance of right and left-footed players right through the team, players suited to proper roles and proper sides of the pitch as well.”
The new-look line-up produced a brilliant start to the campaign, Mick Mulhern’s team winning nine of the first 10 matches to stand well clear at the top of the table with 28 points.
Meanwhile Lincoln collected only 18 points from their opening 10 fixtures, and in a 22-match season that return from almost half the campaign seemed more than likely to rule them out of the promotion picture.
But in their final 12 outings they won 11 and drew the other one, ironically at home to Sunderland’s arch rivals Newcastle, and when they finished their season with a 4-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday on 12th April they were 12 points clear of the Black Cats.
At that juncture Sunderland had five league matches left to play, amidst them the small matter of a FA Cup final to contest with the mighty Arsenal.
And when they drew the first of those league games – Newcastle proving stubborn opponents, as they had against Lincoln – it meant that all four of their remaining fixtures had to be won for them to claim the Northern Division title and with it, promotion.
A tremendous start was made to the quest, smashing Aston Villa 11-0 and then Sheffield Wednesday 7-1 ahead of the FA Cup final.
Come the Bank Holiday Monday and the final at Derby County FC, despite a brave performance against the then record winners of the competition, they suffered a 2-1 defeat. But manager Mulhern and his players took justifiable pride in their display, and they quickly dusted themselves down to face Leicester City six days later in their penultimate league encounter.
Wilson recalls: “Fair play to Leicester, they told us that Lincoln were going to send people over to watch and try to intimidate us. It probably gave us that little bit of extra fire in the belly to go on and do what we needed to do.”
And the Black Cats did just that, with a 4-1 over the Foxes leaving them two points behind Lincoln at the top of the table and thus requiring a win at Preston North End to finish the season with elevation to the National Division confirmed.
“It was one of those really weird games,” says Wilson, “where we knew we were never going to lose it, but Preston started really well. It was a really strange place to play, almost like in a park, and the pitch was terrible. A lot of the parents and ex-players travelled down. We were quite frustrated in the first half, but once we eventually went ahead that kind of settled everybody, we knew that we were going to win and it was business as usual.”
The 4-0 victory, making their end of season run-in four straight league wins with a combined goal aggregate of 26-2, completed one of the most memorable campaigns in the history of the proud Wearside club.
And after a period of instability following their abandonment by the men’s club Sunderland AFC, in the summer of 2005 – just months after they last won the Northern Division – ongoing dedication and hard work behind the scenes by players, parents and volunteers meant that the club were now looking forward to their return to top flight football.
Wilson says: “This was the first season we didn’t have to stand in ASDA packing bags for people. We still did fundraising, but it was different types of activities, like casino nights and stuff like that.
“There was a different feel about the club, because we had spent a few years struggling and now were in a position where we were self-sustaining and not relying on anything else.
“Several parents worked behind the scenes and on the committee, like my Mam and my step dad Keith, who was a qualified accountant, to ensure we ended the season in the black and were stable.”
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunderland | 22 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 95 | 16 | 53 | +79 |
| 2 | OOH Lincoln | 22 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 79 | 15 | 52 | +64 |
| 3 | Manchester City | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 42 | 22 | 43 | +20 |
| 4 | Newcastle United | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 58 | 28 | 41 | +30 |
| 5 | Leicester City | 22 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 54 | 33 | 40 | +21 |
| 6 | Reading | 21 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 43 | 31 | 33 | +12 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 49 | 50 | 32 | -1 |
| 8 | Fylde | 21 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 37 | 51 | 24 | -14 |
| 9 | Sheffield Wednesday | 22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 37 | 72 | 18 | -35 |
| 10 | Curzon Ashton | 22 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 35 | 70 | 16 | -35 |
| 11 | Tranmere Rovers | 22 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 28 | 76 | 14 | -48 |
| 12 | Rotherham United | 22 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 17 | 110 | 11 | -90 |
Fylde v Reading: Not played, points awarded to Fylde
RESULTS
17/8/2008Aston Villa 4-2 Curzon Ashton
Preston North End 2-3 Tranmere Rovers
Manchester City 3-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Reading 0-3 Sunderland
Rotherham United 0-6 Leicester City
24/8/2008
Aston Villa 1-2 Newcastle United
Leicester City 1-0 Preston North End
Manchester City 4-1 Curzon Ashton
OOH Lincoln 7-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Tranmere Rovers 3-3 Reading
31/8/2008
Aston Villa 3-2 Manchester City
OOH Lincoln 9-0 Curzon Ashton
Tranmere Rovers 1-3 Rotherham United
4/9/2008
Leicester City 0-3 OOH Lincoln
Manchester City 5-1 Preston North End
Newcastle United 1-5 Sunderland
7/9/2008
Leicester City 4-1 Tranmere Rovers
Reading 1-1 OOH Lincoln
Rotherham United 0-2 Manchester City
17/9/2008
Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Rotherham United
21/9/2008
Aston Villa 1-0 OOH Lincoln
Reading 1-2 Newcastle United
Rotherham United 1-4 Preston North End
Sheffield Wednesday 0-5 Sunderland
28/9/2008
Aston Villa 2-3 Sunderland
Preston North End 3-4 Curzon Ashton
Leicester City 1-3 Newcastle United
OOH Lincoln 3-0 Manchester City
Reading 5-0 Rotherham United
Tranmere Rovers 2-3 Sheffield Wednesday
5/10/2008
Newcastle United 2-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Sunderland 2-2 Curzon Ashton
8/10/2008
OOH Lincoln 3-3 Leicester City
12/10/2008
Aston Villa 2-1 Preston North End
Curzon Ashton 0-9 Sunderland
Manchester City 3-0 Rotherham United
OOH Lincoln 1-0 Reading
Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Newcastle United
14/10/2008
Rotherham United 2-4 Sheffield Wednesday
19/10/2008
Aston Villa 4-0 Tranmere Rovers
Sunderland 3-2 OOH Lincoln
26/10/2008
Leicester City 2-1 Aston Villa
Reading 4-2 Curzon Ashton
Rotherham United 0-6 Newcastle United
Sunderland 1-0 Manchester City
30/10/2008
Reading 2-2 Aston Villa
2/11/2008
Manchester City 3-0 Tranmere Rovers
Sheffield Wednesday 2-6 Aston Villa
Sunderland 2-0 Rotherham United
9/11/2008
Newcastle United 8-1 Curzon Ashton
OOH Lincoln 1-1 Preston North End
Reading 1-2 Manchester City
Sunderland 7-0 Tranmere Rovers
16/11/2008
Rotherham United 0-9 OOH Lincoln
23/11/2008
Newcastle United 2-2 Reading
Preston North End 4-0 Rotherham United
Leicester City 4-1 Curzon Ashton
OOH Lincoln 5-1 Aston Villa
30/11/2008
Curzon Ashton 2-2 Preston North End
Manchester City 1-2 OOH Lincoln
Rotherham United 0-5 Reading
7/12/2008
Leicester City 1-1 Manchester City
OOH Lincoln 2-1 Sunderland
Reading 2-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Rotherham United 2-2 Curzon Ashton
11/1/2009
OOH Lincoln 4-0 Tranmere Rovers
18/1/2009
Curzon Ashton 1-0 Newcastle United
Tranmere Rovers 0-4 Sunderland
25/1/2009
Curzon Ashton 6-0 Rotherham United
Newcastle United 3-0 Tranmere Rovers
Reading 2-0 Preston North End
Sheffield Wednesday 3-4 Leicester City
1/2/2009
Curzon Ashton 1-2 Aston Villa
Leicester City 8-1 Rotherham United
OOH Lincoln 3-0 Newcastle United
Sheffield Wednesday 1-3 Manchester City
Sunderland 6-0 Reading
15/2/2009
Aston Villa 0-0 Reading
22/2/2009
Aston Villa 9-1 Rotherham United
Preston North End 0-5 Newcastle United
Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 Curzon Ashton
Tranmere Rovers 1-3 Manchester City
1/3/2009
Curzon Ashton 6-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Preston North End 2-4 OOH Lincoln
Leicester City 2-0 Reading
Manchester City 0-0 Newcastle United
Rotherham United 2-2 Tranmere Rovers
5/3/2009
Tranmere Rovers 2-0 Curzon Ashton
8/3/2009
Manchester City 0-3 Leicester City
Newcastle United 0-0 OOH Lincoln
Sheffield Wednesday 2-3 Reading
Tranmere Rovers 0-4 Aston Villa
15/3/2009
Aston Villa 2-4 Sheffield Wednesday
Curzon Ashton 0-0 Leicester City
Newcastle United 1-1 Manchester City
Reading 6-1 Tranmere Rovers
Sunderland 5-0 Preston North End
19/3/2009
Aston Villa 3-2 Leicester City
Tranmere Rovers 1-3 Fylde
22/3/2009
Curzon Ashton 0-3 OOH Lincoln
Preston North End 4-3 Sheffield Wednesday
Manchester City 1-1 Reading
Rotherham United 2-1 Aston Villa
Tranmere Rovers 4-2 Newcastle United
25/3/2009
Leicester City 4-1 Sheffield Wednesday
29/3/2009
Curzon Ashton 0-3 Reading
Preston North End 4-0 Aston Villa
Manchester City 1-0 Sunderland
Newcastle United 2-0 Leicester City
OOH Lincoln 7-1 Rotherham United
Sheffield Wednesday 4-1 Tranmere Rovers
5/4/2009
Rotherham United 0-11 Sunderland
Manchester City 2-0 Aston Villa
Reading 2-1 Leicester City
Tranmere Rovers 0-6 OOH Lincoln
12/4/2009
Curzon Ashton 0-2 Manchester City
Preston North End v Reading: Not played, points awarded to Preston North End
Newcastle United 2-1 Aston Villa
Sheffield Wednesday 0-4 OOH Lincoln
Sunderland 1-3 Leicester City
16/4/2009
Sunderland 1-1 Newcastle United
19/4/2009
Newcastle United 12-0 Rotherham United
Sunderland 11-0 Aston Villa
Tranmere Rovers 2-3 Leicester City
22/4/2009
Preston North End 0-3 Manchester City
26/4/2009
Preston North End 1-1 Leicester City
Sunderland 7-1 Sheffield Wednesday
3/5/2009
Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Preston North End
10/5/2009
Leicester City 1-4 Sunderland
Newcastle United 2-5 Preston North End
17/5/2009
Preston North End 0-4 Sunderland
