On this day in 1996, 18-year-old Irish goalkeeper Shay Given made his debut for Sunderland away to Leicester City in a 0-0 draw.
This game saw the first of the 12 clean sheets he kept during his loan deal at Roker Park which saw Sunderland end the season as Champions of The First Division and promoted to the Premier League.
We loaned Shay Given from Blackburn Rovers in January of 1996 for the remainder of the season. He had previously had two loan spells with Swindon Town but had only made five appearances for The Robins.
Initially some fans criticised Peter Reid for playing the young goalkeeper, due to his inexperience. But they were proved wrong by Reidy's decision in the long term as his quality quickly shone through, despite Shay looking like a 12-year-old boy in a goalie top that was probably two sizes too big for him!
His debut ended goalless, but this did not make the event boring as six players were booked in a tempestuous affair, with Sunderland full back Gareth Hall being sent off in the 88th minute after a second yellow, but the Lads held on to leave the Midlands with a point.
The teenage sensation's loan spell with SAFC saw him play 17 games for us, but after his time on Wearside he defected to the dark side when he signed for The Mags in 1997, where he made 354 appearances and remained there until 2009.
After leaving SJP Given played for Man City, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Stoke City. The evergreen shot-stopper became Ireland's all time appearance maker, representing his country 134 times.
He eventually retired a day after his 42nd birthday in 2018, where he moved into a career of coaching. He was at Derby County, joining with manager Frank Lampard, and remained at the club until their relegation to League One when Derby's financial problems meant they simply couldn't afford to keep Given.
