On this day in 1991, Malcolm Crosby officially became SAFC manager having been Denis Smith's right-hand man at both York and Sunderland.
Crosby took over as caretaker manager when Smith was sacked, but Sunderland struggled to find a permanent replacement. While caretaker, the former midfielder took the lads to Sunderland’s fourth FA Cup final in our history, which brought calls from fans to give him the job.
Before the FA Cup final, the South Shields native was officially given the manager’s job. However, Sunderland lost the final 2-0 to Liverpool and left London without silverware. Despite taking the lads to Wembley, the new manager was unable to inspire his side in the league, treading water in the second tier.
Crosby was relieved of his duties in 1993, with Terry Butcher taking over as manager. After leaving Wearside, the Sunderland fan became assistant manager at Oxford before briefly taking over as caretaker.
He then took a variety of roles, such as reserve team manager at Middlesbrough, Oxford’s head of recruitment and Birmingham’s chief scout. Crosby is currently the Senior Scout for Derby County, a job he has held since 2016.
