Sunderland fans’ hopes for Marco Gabbiadini were high as the club won promotion back to the Second Division. The youngster had impressed everyone with goals in the third tier, but had started life in the higher level a little slowly, albeit hampered by a niggling injury or two.
As Swindon rolled into town, Gabbiadini had started to find his league goalscoring feet with goals in the previous home fixtures against Oldham and Leeds, but with just two goals in nine league games he was desperate to really hit his straps.
The form of Gabbiadini was perhaps reflected by the team overall – slowly finding their feet, and looking now to kick on – and it was interesting that Denis Smith had quickly ditched the ‘G-Force’ pairing upon promotion. Gates and Gabbiadini had started only the first two league games before new signing Billy Whitehurst – a player who was opposed to Gates – preferred to partner Gabbiadini.
The two wins against Oldham and Leeds had given the Roker crowd a boost, and on this day 38 years ago the mood was boosted even further with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Lou Macari’s team.
I remember enjoying the physical approach Whitehurst brought to the line-up on this day. To say he was a tough competitor would be an absolute understatement! He battled, fought and bullied his opponents, and was a pivotal player against a Swindon defence that, when the full-time whistle blew, knew they’d certainly been in a game.
On a beautiful, sunny autumn afternoon, Sunderland turned in arguably their best performance of the season. Gary Owers opened the scoring on 20 minutes after a trademark surging run into the box – he went past two players, including goalkeeper Fraser Digby, before the ball found its way into the net via Jon Gittens.
By then, Sunderland should already have been a couple of goals to the good – Whitehurst had headed wide from close range after Gabbiadini’s pull back from the byline, while Armstrong’s header from Owers’ cross flew just over.
The goal did open the proverbial floodgates, and just six minutes later, Gabbiadini – who wore the number 9 shirt when Whitehurst was here, rather than his traditional number 10 – rammed the ball home after Doyle’s long ball into the box had been headed down by Colin Pascoe.
Literally a minute later, Gabbiadini was through with only Digby to beat but put the ball wide, while on the half hour Pascoe’s 25-yarder just flew wide. Whitehurst was then millimetres away from making it three after another cross from Gabbiadini, while the big striker shot wide after being released by Doyle’s lovely throughball. Just before the half-time whistle, meanwhile, Owers’ long-range shot flew just over. The half-time whistle brought warm applause from the crowd – 2-0 was a good lead, but in reality it should have been four or five.
Whatever Lou Macari had said to his troops at half time hadn’t worked, as the second half was the same as the first. Sometimes a team will turn it on for a spell – this was 90 minutes of consistent, attacking football, and Whitehurst shot over again and saw another header go just wide as Owers and Armstrong prompted well from midfield.
Pascoe and Gabbiadini both went close to adding to the scoreline, but we had to wait until the closing stages to see another goal – and it was Whitehurst who eventually struck, with a lovely goal – lobbing Digby and the ball finding its way in off the upright.
That gave Sunderland a renewed sense of urgency – Gabbiadini and Whitehurst were linking brilliantly, and both should have scored with excellent chances, while Whitehurst also saw a spectacular Digby save to deny his header from reaching the back of the net, and Gabbiadini just missed out after being set up by a Whitehurst pull-back.
The fourth goal did arrive eventually, and it was Gabbiadini who grabbed his second of the game, heading home past Digby from an Armstrong cross.
After the game, Denis Smith was delighted with the result – and the performance of his new signing, Whitehurst.
“I am delighted for him. He worked hard and needed a goal, but the one he scored was possibly his hardest chance. I have been telling people this sort of result was coming and that it just proves me right. I thought we played as well as that at Hull last week and at Walsall the week before. Let’s hope we carry on that way. But it was nice to do this against Swindon. They are possibly a better side than those we have played of late.”