On This Day – 10th September
Liverpool were the visitors for the first match ever played at Sunderland’s Roker Park on this day back in 1898.
The Sunderland fans left their new home happy as their team won the game 1-0 thanks to a goal from James Leslie.
As is the case with all grand unveilings, Sunderland also called in a big name to announce the new ground officially open. Their chosen dignitary was Charles Stewart Vane-Tempest-Stewart, the Marquis of Londonderry. Quite why he was chosen is unclear, maybe he was a secret Sunderland fan?!
The record attendance at Roker Park was when 75,118 fans crammed in to watch Sunderland’s FA Cup tie with Derby County.
The ground also hosted four matches in the 1966 World Cup finals, including the Quarter Final between the Soviet Union and Hungary.
Sunderland would stay at Roker Park for the next 99 years before moving to their current ground The Stadium of Light. Roker Park had its capacity reduced quite considerably to 22,500 and still had terracing. The club had to move to an all-seater stadium due to the Taylor Report.
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