Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Remembering Ian

I was saddened to hear of the death of Ian Porterfield. Although a lifelong Sunderland supporter, I did not obtain a ticket for the 1973 FA Cup Final when he scored the only goal in Sunderland's dramatic 1-0 defeat of the then mighty Leeds United. It can be accessed here.

But I did see the first game he ever played for Sunderland on 30 December, 1967. It was a dramatic 3-3 draw at home to local rivals Newcastle United.

I also took my son Stephen as a four year old to his very first football match when Porterfield was playing for Sunderland in an away game at Huddersfield Town. It was on 23 September 1972. Porterfield scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw. It was the very season in which Sunderland went on to win the FA Cup, via that other famous Porterfield goal.

Throughout his football and coaching careers, Porterfield was always well respected. He was a skilled and cultured player. My son and I will have our own special reasons to reflect on his sad departure.

2 comments:

dreadnought said...

Ian Porterfield - a true legend!

Harry Barnes said...

dreadnought; 254 Sunderland appearances and 12 as substitute over almost 9 seasons, disrupted by a fractured skull and a broken jaw in a car accident 19 months after the Cup win. With a bit of luck we might now have other legends inspired by him.