Team photo taken in 1884
Founded 17 October 1879 as 'Sunderland and District Teachers A.F.C.' by schoolmaster James Allan, Sunderland joined The Football League for the 1890–91 season. They replaced Stoke, who had failed to be re-elected, becoming the first new club to join the league since its inauguration in 1888.[7] During the late 19th century, they were declared the "Team of All Talents" by William McGregor,[8] the founder of the league, after a 7–2 win against Aston Villa.[8] Sunderland won the league championship in the 1891–92 season, one season after joining The Football League. The club's 42 points were five clear of nearest rivals Preston North End, and this performance led The Times to describe the players as "a wonderfully fine team".[9] Sunderland successfully defended the title the following season, aided by centre forward Johnny Campbell, who broke the 30-goal mark for the second time in consecutive seasons. In the process, they became the first team to score 100 goals in a season, a feat not matched until 1919–20, when West Bromwich Albion set a new record.[10]
One of the earliest football paintings in the world, Thomas MM Hemy's "Sunderland v. Aston Villa 1895" depicts a match between the two most successful English teams of the decade.
Sunderland came close to winning a third successive league championship in the 1893–94 season, finishing second behind Aston Villa. However, they regained the title in the 1894–95 season, ending the season five points ahead of Everton. After winning the English League Championship, Sunderland played against Heart of Midlothian, the champions of the Scottish League, in a game described as the Championship of the World title match.[11] Sunderland won the game 5–3 and were announced "Champions of the world".[12] Sunderland came close to winning another league title in the 1897–98 season, when they finished as runners-up to Sheffield United.[13] That season was their last at Newcastle Road, as they moved to Roker Park the following season.[14] After coming second in 1900–01, the club won their fourth league title in the 1901–02 season, beating Everton by a three-point margin.[15]
In 1904, Sunderland's management was embroiled in a payment scandal involving player Andrew McCombie. The club was said to have given the player £100 (£9.6 thousand today) to help him start his own business, on the understanding that he would repay the money after his benefit game.[16] However, McCombie refused to repay the money, claiming it had been a gift. An investigation conducted by the Football Association concluded that the money given to McCombie was part of a "re-signing/win/draw bonus", which violated the Association's rules. Sunderland were fined £250 (£24.1 thousand today), and six directors were suspended for two and a half years for not showing a true record of the club's financial dealings. Sunderland manager Alex Mackie was also suspended for three months for his involvement in the affair.[16][17]
Further league championship titles Edit
On 5 December 1908, Sunderland achieved their highest ever league win, against north-east rivals Newcastle United. They won the game 9–1; Billy Hogg and George Holley each scored hat-tricks.[18] The club won the league again in 1913,[19] but lost their first FA Cup final 1–0 to Aston Villa, in a very tough loss.[20] This was the closest the club has come to winning the league title and the FA Cup in the same season.[21] Two seasons later the First World War brought the league to a halt. After the league's resumption, Sunderland came close to winning another championship in the 1922–23 season, when they were runners-up to Liverpool.[22] They also came close the following season, finishing third, four points from the top of the league.[23] The club escaped relegation from the First Division by one point in the 1927–28 season despite 35 goals from Dave Halliday.
Sunderland's 1937 FA Cup winning side
The point was won in a match against Middlesbrough, and they finished in fifteenth place.[24] Halliday improved his goal scoring to 43 goals in 42 games the following season,[25] an all-time Sunderland record for goals scored in a single season.[26]
The club's sixth league championship came in the 1935–36 season,[27] and they won the FA Cup the following season, after a 3–1 victory against Preston North End at Wembley Stadium.[28] The remainder of the decade saw mid-table finishes, until the league and FA Cup were suspended for the duration of the Second World War. Some football was still played as a morale boosting exercise, in the form of the Football League War Cup. Sunderland were finalists in the tournament in 1942, but were beaten by Wolverhampton Wanderers.[29]
For Sunderland, the immediate post-war years were characterised by significant spending; the club paid £18,000 (£568 thousand today) for Carlisle United's Ivor Broadis in January 1949.[16] Broadis was also Carlisle's manager at the time, and this is the first instance of a