Born on this day is former midfielder and long throw specialist, Rory Delap. The Republic of Ireland international joined Sunderland after five years at Southampton, signed by fellow Irishman Mick McCarthy.
His spell on Wearside was marred by injury, only making 6 appearances in his first season. Delap made his debut as a substitute in a 1-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Birmingham City. The midfielder only played the full 90 minutes twice in his first Sunderland season, but actually scored on one of those. His header found the back of the net to earn a crucial 2-2 draw against Everton. However, Delap was injured in the following game. Following a clash of heads with George McCartney, the game against Fulham was abandoned due to bad weather but only after Delap suffered a broken nose. He underwent an operation to fix the injury, but withdrew from the squad against Manchester United after having a nosebleed in the warm up. The former Derby County man was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the season.