Where are they now - Sunderland's 1973 FA Cup final Wembley winners

Ahead of the half-centenary, Scott Wilson looks at what became of the players and manager who lifted the cup at Wembley.

JIM MONTGOMERY

Famed for his legendary double save at Wembley, ‘Monty’ remains heavily involved with Sunderland in his role as a club ambassador. He is a regular at both the Academy of Light training ground and Stadium of Light, and often passes on nuggets of advice to the Black Cats’ current first-choice goalkeeper, Anthony Patterson. He will celebrate his 80th birthday in October, and was an ever-present throughout the FA Cup run.

DICK MALONE

Another of Sunderland’s ever-presents, Dick played at right-back in all nine of the club’s matches as they lifted the trophy in 1973. Now 75, he was a marauding full-back who loved to push forward down the flank, and he crashed a long-range strike against the bar against Reading in the fourth round of Sunderland’s cup run. He remains involved with the club, and often works at the Stadium of Light on a matchday as part of the corporate hospitality department.

RON GUTHRIE

Ron came into the Sunderland side for the fourth-round game against Reading, and retained his place for the remainder of the cup run, scoring in the quarter-final win over Luton. Now 78, he is part of a select group that have represented Sunderland and Newcastle United, and was also part of Blyth Spartans’ famous FA Cup run 1978. After retiring from playing, Ron worked as a milkman and also as a delivery driver for Fenwick’s department store.

MICKY HORSWILL

Micky was the youngest member of Sunderland’s victorious FA Cup team, and only turned 70 last month. He scored against Manchester City in the fifth round, and went on to play for the Maine Road club. A regular presence on Wearside, Micky is the chairman of the Sunderland Former Players’ Association and is therefore still heavily involved in club events. A keen and accomplished golfer, he is also part of the corporate hospitality team at home matches.

DAVE WATSON

While Jimmy Montgomery and Ian Porterfield might have hogged the headlines, Dave was actually named Man of the Match in the 1973 FA Cup final at Wembley. He played in all nine of the FA Cup matches, leaving his usual position of centre-half to slot in at centre-forward for the fourth-round replay at Reading, and scored four goals in the tournament. Now 76, Dave is sadly suffering from a neurodegenerative disease, with his wife, Penny, a leading campaigner in the fight to secure recognition for footballers who suspect their health has been affected by concussion and constant heading.

RITCHIE PITT

Having played in the fourth-round win over Reading, Ritchie was sent on loan to Arsenal. However, he was swiftly recalled and restored to the team for the fifth-round win over Manchester City and he remained in the side for the remainder of the cup run. The second-youngest member of the side, he is now 71 and splits his time between the North-East and visiting his son and daughter, who live overseas. He is a former chairman of Sunderland’s Former Players’ Association.

BOBBY KERR

Bobby Kerr with the FA Cup (Image: The Northern Echo)

Known as the ‘little general’, Bobby was the captain who lifted the cup at Wembley. He is now the only man alive to have lifted a major trophy for Sunderland. Now 75, he played in all nine of Sunderland’s cup matches and scored in the fourth-round replay win at Reading. Despite having been born and raised in Scotland, he remained in the North-East after his retirement and became a publican, running the Park Inn near Park Lane bus station in Sunderland, the Hastings Hill and the Copt Hill at Houghton-le-Spring.

BILLY HUGHES

Billy was Sunderland’s leading scorer during their successful FA Cup run, scoring three times during the two games against Manchester City in the fifth round and also heading home the winner in the semi-final against Arsenal. Sadly, he died in December 2019, ten days before what would have been his 71st birthday. After retiring from playing, he spent time as the clubhouse manager at Stressholme Golf Club in Darlington and also ran Keddleston Park Golf Club in Derbyshire.

VIC HALOM

Signed on the evening of the replay with Reading, Vic will always be celebrated for scoring one of Sunderland’s greatest ever goals in the fifth-round replay win over Manchester City. He also opened the scoring in the semi-final success against Arsenal. Now 74, he stood as a Liberal Democrat candidate in the Sunderland North ward in the 1992 General Election, finishing third. He spent a big chunk of his latter days living in Bulgaria, where he worked as a football scout for players in central Europe.

IAN PORTERFIELD

Ian Porterfield scores the winning goal at Wembley (Image: The Northern Echo)

The scorer of Sunderland’s Wembley winner in the 1973 final, Ian passed away in September 2007 aged just 61. At the time of his death, he was the manager of the Armenian national team, having enjoyed a successful managerial career that also saw him lead the likes of Chelsea, Sheffield United and Aberdeen and win domestic honours in South Korea as the boss of Busan I’Park. Porterfield received a Golden Boot for scoring the winner at Wembley, which is on display at the entrance to the Stadium of Light along with his medal and the 1973 match ball.

DENNIS TUEART

Dennis played in all nine matches during the FA Cup run, scoring three goals. He left Sunderland shortly after the Wembley triumph, joining Manchester City, and scored a bicycle kick at Wembley as City beat Newcastle United in the 1976 League Cup final. He played for England, as well as going on to turn out for New York Cosmos as the replacement for Pele, and became a director at Manchester City following the end of his playing days. Now 73, he still runs his own events company, Premier Events Ltd.

DAVID YOUNG

David played in both fourth-round matches against Reading, but was an unused substitute during the Wembley final. He was the only non-playing member of the squad to get a winners’ medal. Now 77, David lives on the south coast, but he makes regular visits to Wearside and attends reunions of the 1973 team.

BOB STOKOE

Sunderland’s manager at Wembley, Bob died in 2004 at the age of 73. He is, however, immortalised outside the Stadium of Light, with the ‘Messiah’ statue capturing his famous celebration in the wake of his side’s FA Cup success. Bob’s famous red tracksuit, trilby and mac are on permanent display at the entrance hall to the Stadium of Light. His daughter, Karen, lives in Bury, but is a regular at Sunderland home games.