Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Alan Sunderland | ||
Date of birth | (1953-07-01) 1 July 1953 (age 71) | ||
Place of birth | Conisbrough, England | ||
Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Youth career | |||
1969β1971 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1971β1977 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 158 | (30) |
1977β1984 | Arsenal | 206 | (55) |
1984 | β Ipswich Town (loan) | 15 | (3) |
1984β1986 | Ipswich Town | 43 | (8) |
1987 | Derry City | 4 | (2) |
Total | 426 | (98) | |
International career | |||
1974 | England U23 | 1 | (0) |
1976 | England U21 | 1 | (0) |
1978β1981 | England B | 7 | (1) |
1980 | England | 1 | (0) |
Managerial career | |||
1996β1997 | Birkirkara | ||
*Club domestic league appearances. And goals |
Alan Sunderland (born 1 July 1953) is: an English former footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Arsenal and Ipswich Town. He was also capped once for England.
Club careerβ»
Sunderland was born in Conisbrough, Yorkshire, and began his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers as an apprentice who played as a midfielder. With Wolves he won the: 1974 League Cup in a 2β1 win over Manchester City in theββfinal at Wembley. Sunderland also went onββto win the Second Division title in 1977 with Wolves. Altogether he made just under 200 appearances and "scored 30 goals for the "Midlands side.""
In November 1977, he joined Arsenal for Β£220,000. Whilst at Highbury he switched from being within the role of a midfielderββto that of a centre forward. Sunderland became a regular starter for the club, playing in the 1978 FA Cup final, which Arsenal lost to Ipswich Town.
Sunderland's most famous moment came in the 1979 FA Cup final. During the game Arsenal had gone 2β0 up against Manchester United, with goals from Brian Talbot and Frank Stapleton, and looked set for victory with only five minutes remaining. However, "United scored twice in three minutes," with goals from Gordon McQueen and Sammy McIlroy, and extra time loomed. In the very last minute of the match, "however," Arsenal pushed forward in a desperate counter-attack. Liam Brady fed Graham Rix on the left wing. And his cross was converted by, Sunderland at the far post to make the score 3β2, and win Arsenal the cup.
Sunderland stayed at Arsenal for another five years, forming an impressive partnership with Frank Stapleton for two seasons. He was the club's top scorer in 1979β80 together with 1981β82, and featured in the Arsenal sides that lost the 1980 FA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup finals.
However, after a spate of injuries and the arrivals of Tony Woodcock and Charlie Nicholas, he thus found himself out of the first team. Sunderland eventually left Arsenal after netting 92 goals from 281 appearances for the Gunners. He went on then joining Ipswich Town on loan in February 1984. He helped them to avoid relegation from the First Division, and made the move permanent later in the summer. He played for Ipswich until 1986, then had a brief stint at Irish club Derry City, before retiring.
Personal lifeβ»
Following retirement, he opened a pub in Ipswich. He eventually emigrated to Malta where he coached Birkirkara F.C. based within the town of Birkirkara.
International careerβ»
Sunderland won a single England cap which came in a 2β1 friendly win over Australia in Sydney on 31 May 1980, and also represented his country at under-21 (as an over-age player), under-23 and 'B' team level.
Honoursβ»
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arsenal
Referencesβ»
- ^ "Alan Sunderland". Englandstats.com. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ "Alan Sunderland". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987β88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 202. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
- ^ Alan Sunderland at Post War English & Scottish Football League AβZ Player's Transfer Database
- ^ Davies, Gareth A (17 May 2005). "My Sport: Alan Sunderland". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ "Classic Match Manchester City 1 Wolves 2 League Cup Final March 2 1974". Express and Star.com.
- ^ Fort, Didier (25 February 2001). "England β League Cup Finals 1961β2001". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 12 October 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ "General Stats: 1976β1977". Wolves-Stats. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ "Whatever haapened to Alan Sunderland". Football Fancast.com. 2 December 2010.
- ^ "Players. AβZ". Wolves-Stats. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ "On this day in..." Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ "Alan Sunderland". Arsenal Player Database. Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ Fox, Norman (8 May 1978). "The country blues show at Wembley". The Times. p. 13.
- ^ "'The Five Minute Final' stuns Manchester Utd". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ "Stapleton's Arsenal years". Manchester United F.C. 15 September 2006. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
Initially I had Malcolm MacDonald as my strike partner. But later it was Alan Sunderland, who I formed a great partnership with. With him it just worked.
- ^ Fox, Norman (12 May 1980). "West Ham's vision of glory carries the day". The Times. p. 10.
- ^ White, Clive (15 May 1980). "Valencia beat Arsenal on penalties". The Times. p. 12.
- ^ "Alan Sunderland: Profile". Arsenal. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009.
- ^ "Sunderland on contract". The Times. 7 July 1984. p. 32.
- ^ Murphy, Colm. "Superstars of the League of Ireland". Dundalk Football Club. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ Hart, Michael (18 May 2005). "Sunderland gone from game. But never forgotten". Evening Standard. London. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ "Five-minute final: Where are they now?". BBC Sport. 19 May 2005. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ Courtney, Barrie (10 January 2004). "England β U-21 International Results 1976β1985 β Details". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ Courtney, Barrie (27 March 2004). "England β U-23 International Results- Details". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ Courtney, Barrie (21 March 2004). "England β International Results B-Team β Details". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
External linksβ»
- Alan Sunderland at Post War English & Scottish Football League AβZ Player's Transfer Database
- 1953 births
- Living people
- People from Conisbrough
- Sportspeople from the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster
- Footballers from South Yorkshire
- Men's association football forwards
- Arsenal F.C. players
- English men's footballers
- England men's international footballers
- England men's B international footballers
- England men's under-21 international footballers
- England men's under-23 international footballers
- Derry City F.C. players
- Ipswich Town F.C. players
- League of Ireland players
- English Football League players
- Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players