On this unique day, December 13, 1980: Hawley’s thunderbolt solves Sunderland’s basic problems, providing the country with a source of income and full trust.
The supporters, the board, and new chairman Tom Cowie were all disappointed with Sunderland as they had lost four straight and were sulking in eighteenth position. Despite the results and our lowly position, there was a common opinion among the supporters that we were not too far away from having a great team that could challenge at the top end of the table.
For this game against the Gunners, Ken Knighton faced some healthy selection issues as well, having admitted to the local press that his thoughts were now on consolidating rather than winning a spot in Europe. In addition to Gary Rowell, who was rumored to be ready to return, John Hawley, Alan Brown, and Pop Robson were also cleared to play.
With John Hawley back, the manager was upbeat and trying to refute rumors that the large center forward was prone to injuries.
Knighton had paid £120,000 plus Wayne Entwistle to acquire Hawley from Leeds in September 1979. Before suffering an injury early in the season, he had scored five goals in six games during his final season with Leeds!
The manager expressed his happiness to have Hawley back in the lineup, saying that the group had missed his power and strength. Although the manager expressed gratitude for having Hawley back in the lineup, he did not anticipate that the player would immediately return to his previous level of play. Pop Robson’s predatory tendencies against a large target man must have made it alluring to play both returnees up front, especially because he was also fit.
Prior to this game, Arsenal had their own selection issues. Alan Sunderland was placed on suspension, and John Hollins and David O’Leary sustained injuries. The Gunners would be replaced by Steve Walford, Brian McDermott, and David Price.
As the game began in front of little fewer than 22,000 spectators, there was a strong wind blowing in Sunderland’s direction toward the Roker End.
In the opening minutes of the match, Arsenal appeared more likely despite playing into a strong wind because to their cool possession and deft passing. The Roker boys’ effort and determination were immediately evident to me and the majority of the spectators. This was best demonstrated by Shaun Elliott, who played in the midfield, and Joe Bolton, who was a raging full-back.
At the four-minute mark, Stan Cummins broke through the Arsenal box, outpacing his defender and laying a beautiful pass to Joe Bolton, the express train. He sent the ball high beyond the bar when it could have been easier to score, so the next shot was more likely to punch a hole in the scoreboard, but it set the tone for an exciting game.
The balance of power in the game fluctuated as Sunderland took control of the midfield from the visitors. Arnott started to work some of his magic, and Cummins seemed everywhere on the field, always managing to get past his defender. As Allardyce and Hindmarch settled into their defensive roles, Whitworth and Bolton were pushing farther down their flanks in their distinct ways.
Then, at twenty-three minutes, there was one of those moments in a game where you watched in “slo-mo,” and afterwards you were just relieved that you were present to see it happen!
Joe Bolton charged for the ball, winning not one but two 50/50 challenges (the like of which would definitely have had him sent off today) as it hung awkwardly in the wind just inside the Gunners half. The ball broke to John Hawley, who was stationed slightly beyond the center circle and approximately five yards in from the midway line, as he charged into the second tackle. As he dug the ball out of his foot and unleashed a thunderbolt of a shot, three defenders closed in on him.
The ball sailed straight and true with “Top Binns” written all over it as I saw it fly in my own time zone from my vantage point at Fulwell End! As the crowd erupted in cheers and the net nearly lifted off, Pat Jennings’ dejected outstretched arm only enhanced the image.
What a strike by the returning forward, who had appeared completely worn out and admitted as much in his post-match interview, claiming that his extreme exhaustion was the only reason he was able to make the shot.
Arsenal came back at us after the goal, and Brian Talbot effectively pulled their strings.
Walford met a risky cross into our box with a powerful header, sending the ball into the near corner of our goal. From where I was standing, it appeared to be heading in, but Steve Whitworth was able to get a foot on it and clear it away. The ball broke to Walford again in the ensuing melee, but Turner was fast off his line to dive at his feet and stop the threat.
The Gunners benefited from a strong wind as the second half got begun. A second goal would have been nice, in my opinion, given most of us in attendance were bracing for a Gunners attack.
However, it was Sunderland who struck first, with Cummins and Hawley creating a chance for Arnott to drive into the box and force a superb stop from Jennings.
Then, Price gave the home crowd heart palpitations with a sly 35-yard shot that appeared goalbound and caught in the breeze. Turner saved the day once more in this game, this time stopping the ball from going for a corner.
John Cooke nearly made an immediate impact when he replaced the cramping Alan Brown. With Willie Young, the Scottish international defender, right at his back, Cooke received an accurate pass from Joe Bolton, who had won the ball in his left back position. Cooke created so much space between himself and Young with a deft move and swivel that the large defender nearly had to pay to go back into the ground! The red-headed forward was consuming the ground and leaving Young in his wake as he carried the ball into and across the box, skipping past Walford. As Jennings moved off his line, he blasted the ball past him and into what appeared to be an empty net. Sadly for Cooke,After keeping up his pursuit, Walford managed to reach the ball and remove it from the line. Cooke produced a brilliant play, and if it had been in, it would have been yet another game-changing goal.
Seventy-seven minutes in, Walford picked up the loose ball and raced for goal with only Turner to beat as Hindmarch and Allardyce got in the way of Arsenal’s attempt to equalize. In this match, the Sunderland goaltender was outstanding; he quickly closed the area and forced the shot to miss its mark.
As Whitworth found Arnott with a nice pass on the outskirts of the Gunners box, the game continued to seesaw and the outcome was still up in the air. With the goal facing him and Young once again in close proximity, he first shielded the ball into the box before feinting to turn to the bye-line and sat the large Arsenal keeper on his behind. As he jinked back in, he created just enough space for a shot to be taken.
The ball slid straight and truly nestled delightfully in the side netting for a classy goal, beating one of the best goalkeepers in the world and sealing the points to the delight of the home fans. An inch to the left and it would have hit the post, and an inch to the right would have resulted in Jennings’s outstretched dive diverting the ball.
The Lads won this game with two very distinct yet memorable goals. Hawley is well-known for his forty-yard pile-driver and could have contributed much more to Sunderland if he had not been injured. In twenty-five league games, he scored eleven goals, including two hat tricks. Before the 1981–82 season began, Alan Durban deemed him surplus to requirements. As a result, he was sold to Arsenal, whose manager Terry Neil had given Hawley his Hull debut and had been gracious in his post-match remarks about both his protégé and Sunderland’s valiant performance.
Arsenal’s hopes of winning the title were dashed when they came in third. Although the statistics would indicate that Sunderland was never in the relegation places during the season, Knighton’s team nevertheless flirted with relegation. To guarantee our place in the top flight, we needed a thrilling victory at Anfield on the last day of the season. By now, Knighton had been (rather severely) fired by Tom Cowie, the new chairman, who had a poor rapport with his management.
That was a long way off, though, as the win propelled us to a high of seventeenth place, and two great goals warmed us all as we returned home into a chilly December evening.
