OTD: MICHAEL PROCTOR BORN
- BY THOMAS THORNTON
- Oct 3
- 2 min read
Born on this day in 1980 is former Fulwell End season ticket holder and striker-turned-coach Michael Proctor.
Proctor came through Sunderland’s youth system, and made his first-team debut as a substitute in a thrilling fourth round League Cup tie at Everton that ran into extra time and penalties. In fact, he was due to take the next spot kick when Sorensen saved to win the match.
The blonde-haired striker would go on loan to several clubs, the first of which was Danish side Hvidovre, of all teams, as he recovered from a cruciate ligament injury. He returned to England in 2001 and then turned out for Halifax Town, York City and Bradford City during his time as a Sunderland player.
One of his few highlights in red and white was in 2002, as the Lads hosted Liverpool. It was 1-1 when Proctor was introduced as a sub, with SAFC’s Gavin McCann (who also missed a penalty in the game) and Liverpool’s Milan Barios already on the scoresheet. Proctor, replacing Micky Gray, would go on to net a late winner and lift us out of the relegation zone.
Despite his heroics on that day, Michael Proctor is remembered by many fans for a much less glamourous turn of events. Charlton Athletic beat us 3-1 in February 2003, with Sunderland somehow conspiring to score all three own goals. Stephen Wright deflected the first of Charlton’s shots into his own goal, before Proctor doubled our misery by inadvertently firing past Tommy Sorensen. Just when things surely couldn’t get any worse, Proctor turned Charlton’s corner into the net to make it three own goals in just seven incredible minutes.
More recently, Proctor was part of the coaching team that filled in after the departure of Lee Johnson. Alongside Mike Dodds, the pair oversaw consecutive 2-1 defeats against Doncaster Rovers and Cheltenham Town as the board scrambled to find a replacement for Lee Johnson, who eventually came in the shape of Alex Neil. Since that fortnight of chaos, Proctor has gone back to his coaching role as part of the backroom staff to this day.
