IN a region which is football-mad but frustratingly starved of silverware, we cherish our heroes.

As Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn said at Ian Porterfield's funeral yesterday, the 1973 FA Cup final was unforgettable - a classic case of David slaying Goliath.

The memories of the day Sunderland beat the overwhelming favourites remain fresh: Bob Stokoe, in his pork pie hat, running joyously across the pitch at the final whistle; Jimmy Montgomery somehow deflecting Peter Lorimer's point-blank shot onto the underside of the bar; and, of course, Porterfield's right-footed winning volley past David Harvey.

Ian Porterfield had other claims to fame likely to crop up in sports quizzes. He was the last man to replace Alex Ferguson as a club manager when he took over at Aberdeen in 1986, and the first manager to be sacked in the Premier League when he lost his job at Chelsea in 1993.

But he will always be best remembered as the man responsible for the greatest upset in the history of the FA Cup final and who gave Sunderland a major trophy for the first time in 36 years.

That memory will be cherished for a long time to come.

Priceless

LOVE him or loathe him, as the self-proclaimed "Special One", Jose Mourinho will be a loss to the Premiership because there was something of the Brian Clough about his character.

The blow for Jose will, of course, be softened by the £25m pay-off he receives from Chelsea.

In 1967, Sunderland paid £45,000 to Raith Rovers for Ian Porterfield and it was considered excessive.

How times have changed.