OTD (13/10/1962): Sunderland 1-1 Newcastle – The Derby Where Clough Shone
Sunderland were pushing for promotion in 1962, with Brian Clough leading the line - but could his career-ending injury later that year have changed the club’s history?
On 13 October 1962, Alan Brown's Sunderland faced off against Joe Harvey's Newcastle in a Second Division clash at St James' Park. Sunderland had recently been relegated from the top flight in May 1958 and were looking to return, having finished third the previous season. Newcastle, on the other hand, were already in second place and were seen as leading candidates for promotion.
Newcastle's squad had been boosted by the signing of Jim Iley and Dave Hilley, while Sunderland saw the arrival of a young Bryan 'Pop' Robson for £145,000 from West Ham. The match was played in front of a crowd of over 62,000 spectators.
Sunderland started the game strongly, with Alan Clough opening the scoring in the 30th minute. Clough's goal was the result of a well-executed cross from Jimmy Davison, who had made progress after receiving a good ball from George Herd. Clough would go on to score a total of 24 goals by December, a remarkable feat for the time. However, Sunderland's season was abruptly cut short on Boxing Day when Clough suffered a career-ending knee ligament injury.
Despite the setback, Sunderland remained the better side, but they were unable to secure the winning goal. Newcastle equalised just before half-time through Jim Kerray, leaving the match tied at 1-1 at the end of the first half.
In the second half, Charlie Hurley, who had been injured at the start of the game, was not used. Dickie Rooks put in a strong performance, complemented by an excellent effort from Jimmy McNab. Rooks' second-half performance was particularly noteworthy, earning him the praise of Sunderland fans as "an outstanding effort". Sunderland nearly secured a win late in the game when Herd headed in a diving header off a Mulhall cross, only for the ball to hit the crossbar.
Despite this, Sunderland managed to secure a point, lifting them up to third place in the league. The season would end with Sunderland missing out on promotion, despite maintaining their third-place position for two consecutive seasons. It was widely believed that Clough's absence from the team due to injury could have led to a top-two finish and an earlier promotion in May 1964.
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