Caledonia Dreaming or Ian38018 Sporting Travels: Stadium of Light

Saturday, 28 May 2011

Stadium of Light

23^rd September 2003

Sunderland 2-4 Huddersfield Town

Bored at a conference at Warwick University, I don’t think anyone noticed me sneaking off early to give me time to drive across the Pennines to Sunderland for this Carling Cup tie. On the face of it, this looked a fairly straightforward outing for the home lads.

Sunderland here, having made an encouraging start to their Division One campaign (they would eventually reach the play-offs), facing visitors from two leagues below them. But this Huddersfield side had also shown early promise in the league (they would reach their division play-offs), and had already eliminated a Division One club (Derby County) from this tournament.

The Stadium of Light from Keir Hardie Way (2003)

Powerleague Sunderland (an indoor football complex) and Sunderland Aquatic
Centre have been built since my original trip.
So I was unable to recreate my 2003 pic in 2025.

The Stadium of Light, Sunderland - not Lisbon (2003)

The Stadium of Light, Sunderland - not Lisbon (2025)

An old pit wheel, reflecting the town of Sunderland's mining past, in 2003...

...and in 2005

Sunderland never really seemed to recover from going a goal down in the 2^nd minute to a Tony CARRS free-kick. Within 20 minutes they were two down, when Jon STEAD seemed to be allowed forever to set up a curling shot past home ‘keeper Michael Ingham, although 6 minutes later Kevin KYLE headed in a corner kick to reduce the deficit.

2-1 it remained at the break, but Huddersfield always looked the more likely outfit, and they duly extended their lead 10 minutes after the break in slightly confusing circumstances. Some particularly weak home defending allowed Jon Worthington to burst into the box. His shot was blocked by Ingham, but the ball spun up in the air to Andy Booth whose goal-bound header was handled on the line by defender Ben Clark.

Whilst everyone else stopped, expecting a penalty to be awarded, Huddersfield’s Andy HOLDSWORTH didn’t hang about. I thought at the time the ref should either give the penalty, and a red card to Clark or, had he played advantage, awarded the goal plus maybe a yellow. And he did appear to be taking the latter course, when it was a yellow card clearly flashed at Clark, but then Clark left the field. No penalty was awarded and the goal stood. All very odd.

That pretty much knocked the heart out of Sunderland, and they conceded a fourth in the 87^th minute when BOOTH capitalised on slack play by Darren Williams. There was still time for Kevin KYLE to make it 4-2, with a deftness of touch he had never before or since displayed in Scotland colours, but this was very clearly Huddersfield’s night.

Panorama of The Stadium of Light (2003)

Same view in 2025

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Sunderland 1-1 Preston North End

11th March 2025

On my first and, before this evening, only previous visit to The Stadium of Light, Sunderland AFC had been a top-half second-tier side looking to return to the Premier League. Ironically, The Black Cats were still in the same situation with this visit. Although, to be fair, the club had hardly sat still in the interim.

They had enjoyed two promotions to the Premier League, where they competed for a total of eleven seasons...and had also found themselves down in League One (tier three) following successive relegations in 2017 and 2018. There had also been an EFL Trophy win, plus a losing League Cup final appearance.

Sunderland went into this one sitting in fourth place in the Championship, with a top-two automatic promotion spot not totally out of the question. North End, by contrast, already looked even this early in March esconced in mid-table mediocrity.

But, I have to say, on this evening's displays there looked little to choose between the sides. Indeed, it was the visitors who carved out the better of the opportunities, but their finishing was utterly woeful. At least it was until North End's Danish forward Emil RIIS sweetly hit in a long ranger in the 65th minute.

Towards the end of the match, Preston began going through the whole gamut of gamesmanship dark arts with time wasting, playacting and feigning injury. Even, for a brief period, seeming to have twelve players on the pitch.

But to no avail, as Sunderland substitute Romaine MUNDLE curled in an effort in the 86th minute. It was a point his side barely deserved, but I was pleased Preston were "punished" for all their shenanigans.

I was particularly impressed by the way referee Lewis Smith took no nonsense from the Preston players. I loved the way he made Ryan Porteous (whose on/off head injury had instigated the monkey business by his teammates), stand on the side-lines until Sunderland equalised.

Respect to you, Sir.

Before leaving Sunderland the next morning, I made my way back to The Stadium of Light to take a few external pix in the daylight.

When the morning daylight arrived, I found I could actually see the ground from
my hotel room window.

There was also some freaky stuff on the roof of a garage below.

These guys are Sunderland's Men of Steel.
The sculptures depict eight-foot-tall steel men rolling giant lumps of coal up the riverbank.
They are a tribute to the men of Wearside who worked in the various coal mines
around the River Wear.

The original pit wheel from Wearmouth Colliery is on display in front of the stadium.

These are the Murray Gates.
Named for one Bob Murray, who was the chairman of Sunderland AFC
when the club moved to the Stadium of Light in 1997.

Bob Stokoe - Sunderland manager when the club won the FA Cup in 1973, defeating Leeds United 1-0.

I initially thought this thing was another installation commemorating the area's mining past. But it appears to be an in-use system for monitoring release of gases from the former mine workings below.