Born on this day is former Sunderland midfielder Gordon Armstrong. The Newcastle-born Armstrong began his career at Sunderland and played on Wearside for 11 years, racking up over 400 appearances in red and white. He’s the 7th-highest appearance maker for Sunderland.
Despite growing up in Newcastle, Armstrong always supported Sunderland from a young age. He made his debut under Len Ashurst in 1985 against West Bromwich Albion. Gordon actually played out of position that match, playing at centre back due to injuries in the squad.
After Ashurst was replaced by Lawrie McMenemy, Armstrong struggled to get back into the team. However, he managed to score against Crystal Palace and ended up staying in the side. McMenemy struggled at Sunderland as we all know, and Denis Smith turned the club around in the third tier. Armstrong played some of his best football under Smith, and helped bring the lads back into the top flight.
During that time Armstrong was part of the team that famously beat Newcastle in the play-offs. Newcastle fans hated the midfielder because of his local roots, which would have made the derby win even sweeter for Armstrong! Goals from Gates and Gabbiadini caused enraged Geordies to storm the pitch before full time in the second leg.
Gordon Armstrong’s most memorable individual moment as a Sunderland player was undoubtedly a bullet header against Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter final. The goal sent Sunderland to the semi-finals, and set the lads on course for a trip top Wembley under caretaker manager Malcolm Crosby.
After leaving Wearside, Armstrong went on to play over 100 games for Burnley and now works as a football agent.
