On This Day (25th January 1986): Sunderland play out lively FA Cup draw with Manchester United!

01/25/2025 01:00 AM

The mid 1980s weren't always a happy time on Wearside, but the visit of the Red Devils to Roker Park resulted in an entertaining and lively clash

After beating Newport County in the third round, Sunderland's reward was a home fixture against Ron Atkinson's Manchester United at Roker Park in January 1986.

This FA Cup tie provided some respite for Lawrie McMenemy after his high-profile appointment as Sunderland boss was flattering to deceive.

Despite a raft of new signings including some big names and experienced pros, we were languishing at the wrong end of the league table — much to the disappointment of fans and board alike, who fully expected some kind of response after relegation to Division Two the previous season.

The arrival of Manchester United at Roker Park increased the attendance dramatically from any of our previous league fixtures, with an attendance of 35,484 beating the highest league turnout of 21,202 for our opening league fixture against Blackburn Rovers.

This summed up the disenchantment that many supporters felt towards McMenemy, coupled with the continued appeal of the FA Cup, but with supporters arriving from 9:00AM for the fixture, it was likely to be a noisy Roker Park and the fans certainly didn't disappoint as the game kicked off.

In fairness to the players, they didn't disappoint either, with a high tempo and aggressive start that hoped to catch a Manchester United team littered with international stars cold.

Sunderland midfielder Barry Venison played a key role in this match, setting the tempo early doors with his barnstorming runs and positive play, which lead to a captivating battle between himself and United skipper Bryan Robson.

Venison had two early opportunities that almost gave us the lead, with a speculative shot from miles outside the box only shaving the top of the crossbar, but it was his second opportunity that nearly gave Sunderland the lead as he drove into the United box and forced a point blank save from Gary Bailey.

As the game wore on, it became increasingly end-to-end, with United's Jesper Olsen causing the Sunderland defence all sorts of issues and coming close to giving United the lead when his snap shot was saved by Bob Bolder.

At the other end, Paul McGrath rescued United when he cleared Paul Atkinson's shot off the line with a audacious back heel.

The game was tense, tempestous and turbulent throughout, with the 'Roker Roar' audible in its entirety. United's captain Robson seemed especially up for this game and his battle with Venison was one to watch throughout.

With just over ten minutes to go, tempers flared and Robson and Venison got into a heated exchange. Referee Colin Seel of Carlisle gave the United captain his marching orders after Robson appeared to pontificate overzealously.

Bryan Robson is sent off after 'lashing out with a boot' in an incident with Sunderland's Barry Venison.

Robson mockingly applauds referee Colin Seel for the decision as he walks off the pitch.

Sunderland tried to find a winning goal late on but despite an abundance of crosses from Dave Swindlehurst, we couldn't seem to do it.

In many ways, it felt like a missed opportunity with the replay at Old Trafford promising to be a daunting task. Four days later, we went down 3-0 to United, who got the job done at the second time of asking.