When Sunderland’s 99-year residency at Roker Park ended in 1997, supporters were asked to vote for their Match of the Century at the club’s famous old home.
When the votes were counted, it was no contest: the 3-1 FA Cup fifth round replay victory against Manchester City in February 1973 won by a landslide.
Fans who were there still go all misty-eyed when they remember the night Second Division Sunderland humbled Malcolm Allison’s top flight side while, for those of us who were not fortunate enough to witness the occasion, watching the grainy black and white footage of Vic Halom’s stunning strike and Billy Hughes’ brace to a soundtrack of the roar of a crowd estimated at anywhere between 52,000 (officially) and up to 70,000 is still enough to make the hairs on your neck stand on end.
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It was the night Sunderland's FA Cup dream got real and, as if anyone needed reminding, it was a significant step on the Road to Wembley and to ultimately bringing the trophy back to Wearside.
So, what’s with all the nostalgia?
Well, this week the FA took a significant step of its own as it further downgraded its marquee cup competition.
As of next season, from the first round onwards, replays will be a thing of the past, with extra-time and then, if needed, ties will be settled with a penalty shootout.
As it happens, Roker Park’s Match of the Century would have already fallen by the wayside because replays in the fifth round were consigned to the bin in 2018-19.
But that is hardly the point. The point is that the game that Sunderland fans regarded as the greatest they had seen at Roker Park was an FA Cup replay, and under the new rules there will be no more FA Cup replays.
The change is seemingly driven by the expansion of the European competitions next season, in which teams that finish further and further down the Premier League get to play more and more games against Continental sides who trail in further and further down their own domestic leagues.
Champions League? You’re having a laugh.
More like Also-ran United vs FC Upper-Midtable.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait!
Strangely enough, you never hear Premier League managers whinging about the creep of European competition and all those trips to far-flung places, only the fatigue caused by those pesky long-established domestic cup competitions which are a part of our footballing fabric.
If they really cannot cope with a cup replay, then why not conceded the tie if they fail to win inside 90 minutes with the team ranked lowest in the league going through?
But I digress.
The decision to drop replays in the early rounds of the FA Cup will be keenly felt by lower league clubs for whom a replay at Old Trafford, Anfield, or the Emirates Stadium, brings a financial windfall to accompany an unforgettable day out.
Even securing a draw away from home and bringing one of the game’s leading lights back to your home ground, such as when Man City visited Roker Park, can bring a bumper attendance - Sunderland’s gates had been around the 12,000 mark before their cup run started - and also offer an added advantage when trying to slay a giant.
Quite apart from the financial side of things, replays were part of what made the FA Cup special.
Until one replay followed by extra-time and penalties were introduced for the 1991-92 season, teams would replay until there was a winner - there were epic ties involving three, four, five, and in one case even six replays, to decide who went through to the next round, and until the 1990s cup finals themselves would also be replayed if they ended level.
The days of multiple meetings are firmly in the past, but it seems a shame to abandon replays altogether.
Just as, under these same proposals, it is sad to see the FA agree to shunt the cup final from its traditional slot as the end-of-season showpiece fixture to the penultimate weekend, just to allow the Premier League to take centre-stage.
The FA Cup is suffering death by 1,000 cuts, and it is the domestic game’s supposed guardians wielding the knife.
READ MORE:
- Chris Rigg: Sunderland's 'iron spine' mentality monster by those who know him best
- Sunderland have achieved generational moments in FA Cup replays: Don't take them away
- WATCH: Previewing Sunderland v Millwall and the latest injury news on Dennis Cirkin, Corry Evans and Nazariy Rusyn
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At the beginning of the month I wrote about the 20th anniversary of Sunderland’s FA Cup semi-final defeat at the hands of this weekend’s opponents, Millwall, at Old Trafford.
That was the day the Curse of Cahill began, with Australia international Tim scoring the only goal to send the Lions through to the final against Manchester United, and with it booked his side a place in the UEFA Cup.
Cahill hung up his boots in 2019 by which time he was unbeaten in his 17 appearances against Sunderland for Millwall and Everton in all competitions, having been on the winning side 11 times, and having scored eight goals - more than against any other club in his career.
Never mind the Curse of Cahill, Sunderland fans had plenty of reason to curse Cahill over the years!
Read the rules here