Sunderland continued their League Cup journey with a trip to west London and Loftus Road, the scene of a few classic encounters over the years...McNair’s double, Wes Brown’s late, late winner, SKP’s comeback winner, Jarvis the dog’s first appearance on TV, and Quinny’s one-man demolition followed by an early evening in the players’ lounge and a chat with Stan Bowles outside – a lovely feller. Some happy memories...and guess what? We won a game on penners that could really have won in normal time. Lee Buuuurge was the eventual hero, as he saved QPR’s opening spot-kick, and we went into the hat for the Quarter final draw. That’s nice, aint it? As 0-0 draws go, it was a pretty entertaining affair with the red being the polar opposite of that gonk we had in charge at the weekend, i.e., quite fair.
Today, there were an incredible 2,699 (someone slept in) in attendance in our colours, and as we disembarked at King’s Cross, it became apparent that the Leeds attendance at Arsenal was heading for five figures, according to Mr Winks – and the number crowded into the Dolphin Tavern over the road appeared to back this up. There are probably fewer pairs of Adidas trainers in the Adidas warehouse. Having bumped into Rob and Sandra near there, I was off to my favourite London pub a few minutes away for a bit of a reminisce before meeting up with Russ and most of South West Durham in the Ship. Once ensconced in my luxurious cellar (sorry, basement) room at the same hotel I used for McNair’s finest hour, I was ready for the fray. Harrier, my schoolmate who lives in west London and who I’m happy to supply tickets to, had booked us a table at the Sindercombe Social – the only place we could get in last time – so I was a quick change of socks to the lucky variety, a coffee, and over the road to pick the team. Which, as usual, we got wrong. The Sindercombe Social was strictly away fans only, which was a bit of a bind for young Neil, whose accent is strictly Twickenham. Thankfully his dad is a heady mixture of Twickenham and Bishop, so Neil got in – and the place bounced.
Burge
Winchester Wright Alves Hume
O’Nien Evans Neil
Gooch Stewart Dajaku
We started the evening’s fun kicking away from the massed bands of the Mackem Army in full voice, which is a really notable thing to achieve in that rackety old away end, and Gooch was quickly back into his old routine of running at defenders but not managing to release the ball quickly enough – but that kept the ball as far away from our goal as possible, and QPR couldn’t do much damage from their own half. Despite us having made seven changes, we looked nice and fluent with those who’d come in slotting in nicely - which is the new Sunderland way, and I like it. That Gooch work ethic created the evening’s first real chance, when he burrowed away to find Dajaku coming in from the other side, but the keeper flung himself in the way of the shot. It was all going our way for a little while, with Dan Neil looking exceptionally fired up, and he twizzled his way past most of the home defence to bring another save out of the home keeper. However, the best chance of the first half came when QPR broke down their left and played it inside, and a goal looked on the cards when Barbet received the ball in the box, but Burge was down as smart as you like to get a strong hand to the shot and it was hacked away.
Hume, back in the side, had put in a few decent challenges as well as providing his usual outlet down the left when he dropped to the turf on 24 after putting in another challenge. It looked worryingly like a hamstring problem, but let’s hope it’s not. Anyway, on came Cirkin, and he more than filled Denver’s boot at left back.
Alves was looking calm and composed at the back to stem the QPR flow as the home side settled into the game after our impressive opening period, and we had to take a bit of a breath to impose ourselves on the midfield again. QPR missed the target after another attack, then they crossed from their left and Alves almost invoked his inner Vergini when the ball reached the back post and he attempted a Git Big Hoof up the field, only to slice the ball over Burge – and the crossbar. It’s amazing how all those years since Ricky’s worldy rolled back, but a corner was all that happened this time. Thankfully.
Despite lots of pressing, and moving the ball forwards at an impressive pace, we couldn’t get the decisive goal and had to thank Burge for another decent save. Stewart was seeing plenty of the ball with his back to goal, and bringing his team-mates into play, but there was always a defender nteh way as we tried to fashion a shot. Two added minutes brought no reward for either side, and we were quite happy to go in level at the break – at which point I realised we were the lowest ranked side still in the tournament. Mind, we didn’t look it, having more than matched our Championship opponents for effort (which is how it should be), teamwork, and organisation (which is how you get better).
There were no changes at the break, and we did our utmost to impose ourselves on the game after the hosts had grown into the latter stages of the first half – and it almost paid off when O’9 got behind the defence to aim a cross at Stewart, but the defence did their job and we got a corner instead of a goal. The game continued at an fairly frantic pace, with the play whooshing from one end to the other, until around the hour mark, when both sides decided to take it a bit steadier and try to pick an opening. QPR brought on Charlie Austin just after the hour, which was a bit of a worry given his record, but we countered this a couple of minutes later with a double switch, McGeady and O’Brien replacing Evans and Gooch. This upped the pace, and after a couple of minutes, Dajaku was replaced by the effervescent Pritchard. Austin hoofed one wide of Burge’s right-hand post, then Geads whipped one in from the left, only to see the ball evade Luke by a matter of inches at the back post. For some reason, Alves was replaced by Doyle with twenty to go, but the youngster slotted in perfectly and produced a few of those soon-to-be-trademark long passes to set our forwards away.
Just after 80 minutes, QPR played the ball across our box, got it back in, and the ball nestled in the net – but there was a flag up for offside. Correct decision? After Saturday, all I can say is thank heavens for boss-eyed officials. That gave us a bit of a lift, the visiting fans roared the Lads on to get things done with, and Winch shot low – but the ball skidded a foot or so wide of the far post. Cllose, but nee tabs. We went close again as we dominated the dying minutes (including four - just four – added) with Geads flashing one across the goal form the left only for the keeper to get down smartly to save. No extra time, no messing, penalties at the far end.
We (presumably) lost the toss and QPR had the first penk – which saw Burge dive to his left to parry away, leaving Charlie Austin with his head in his hands. A great start – their deadliest marksman denied, a proper psychological upper hand. Up stepped Geads, and planted his effort into the side of the goal. Chair looked like a defender taking a penalty, I said as much, and he duly hoofed his effort way over the bar. Stewart plonked his shot home to make it 2-0. Dykes managed to beat Burge to give the Hoops a glimmer of hope, but when Pritch scored his, the pressure was all on Barbet – and he made a complete hash of things, blootering it high and embarrassingly wide. Up went the away end, home went the home end. On came LJ to give us fans appreciation, and we returned the favour. What a cracking night, and it got better. The Sindercombe Social became the Sunderland Social, with the singing and back-slapping continuing way into the night. A lad by the name of Alex, all southern accent and Sunderland to the core, recognised by footwear and came over for a chat, the Jameson’s was given a fair amount of gip as the London Pride ran out, and the evening worked its way into Awayday folklore.
Man of the Match? There were some impressive displays across the field, but if you save the first penner in a shootout, after making that crucial save in the first half, it has to be you. Step up Lee Burge.
