Sunderland on this day in history: The last 10 matches on October 22 - Sessegnon, Gabbiadini, Rostron, Purdon and more

Sunderland head to West Ham today looking for a first win of the Premier League season.
Nicklas Bendtner gets a hug from Phil Bardsley after scoring for Sunderland in the 2-0 win at Bolton on this day five years agoNicklas Bendtner gets a hug from Phil Bardsley after scoring for Sunderland in the 2-0 win at Bolton on this day five years ago
Nicklas Bendtner gets a hug from Phil Bardsley after scoring for Sunderland in the 2-0 win at Bolton on this day five years ago

Here we look back on the 10 most recent games the Red and Whites have played on this date, October 22.

Bolton Wanderers 0 Sunderland 2

October 22, 2011

Sunderland left it late on the day but could not have produced a more timely win to relieve the growing pressure on the club.

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It wasn’t until the 82nd minute that the Black Cats finally managed to get their noses in front after dominating the second half without success.

When Seb Larsson swung in the corner which saw Stephane Sessegnon swivel to flash home a low shot from 10 yards out, it was the seventh time the Swede had been given a goal-creating opportunity from the corner flag and time and again Sunderland created chances they seemed destined never to convert.

After a first-half display from both sides which was best forgotten the stage seemed set for the first draw of Bolton’s season – defences dominating amid a string of unforced errors and poor passing.

Early in the second half, Sunderland seized the advantage and by the time the final 10 minutes arrived, Bolton were clinging on.

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Sessegnon’s goal could easily have been cancelled out in the last few minutes, but Simon Mignolet produced a brilliant close-range save and John O’Shea a classy headed clearance from just a couple of yards out to preserve their lead.

Sunderland then took advantage of Bolton committing men forward to hit them on the counterattack in time added on – Sessegnon finding Nicklas Bendtner unmarked on the left of goal and the Dane stroking home a low shot to beat the exposed Jussi Jaaskelainen at his near post.

BOLTON: Jaaskeleinen, Boyata (Gardner), Robinson, Cahill, Wheater, Reo-Coker, Eagles, Pratley, Davis (Klasnic), Ngogo, Petrov (Kakuta)

SUNDERLAND: Mignolet, O’Shea, Richardson (Bardsley), Brown, Turner, Colback, Vaughan, Larsson, Bendtner, Wickham, Sessegnon

Att: 24,349

Middlesbrough 2 Sunderland 0

October 22, 2001

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Jason McAteer endured a disappointing debut as Sunderland slipped to 12th place after going down 2-0 in a televised Monday night Tees-Wear derby at the Riverside.

Boro struck twice in the first quarter of the game and held on, despite having Paul Ince red-carded on 72 minutes for hitting Niall Quinn on the back of his neck.

Left-back Frank Queudrue gave Boro the lead in the second minute of his debut for the Teessiders, heading home Carlos Marinelli’s cross.

It was 2-0 on 21 minutes as Szilard Nemeth’s cross from the right flank was nodded in by Alen Boksic, helped by a deflection off defender Jody Craddock.

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Sunderland did not play too badly, and forced home goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer into a string of good stops, including tipping over a Michael Gary piledriver and reacting well to keep out a McAteer header.

Kevin Phillips was just wide from range, and had an effort disallowed for a foul by Quinn.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Stockdale, Queudrue, Ehiogu, Southgate, Mustoe, Ince, Greening, Nemeth (Windass), Boksic (Wilson), Marinelli (Johnston)

SUNDERLAND: Sorensen, Haas, Gray, Varga, Craddock, Schwarz (Bellion), McAteer, McCann, Quinn (Laslandes), Phillips, Arca

Att: 28,422

Aston Villa 0 Sunderland 0

October 22, 2000

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Peter Reid’s Black Cats kept a third successive clean sheet, but the failure to make a breakthrough at Villa Park saw Sunderland forced to settle for a goalless draw.

Boosted by the previous week’s win over Chelsea, Sunderland fought well on their Sunday trip south, but the point from a dour draw saw them drop two places to 12th in the table.

Sunderland had arguably the two best chances.

Niall Quinn was left unmarked as he got on the end of an Alex Rae cross, but poked wide from seven yards.

Kevin Phillips then fired in a fierce half-volley which came back off the bar, with keeper David James beaten.

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Sunderland extended their unbeaten league run to five, following a dismal start which brought three defeats in the first five matches.

ASTON VILLA: James, Stone, Wright, Alpay, Southgate, Barry, Taylor, Hendrie (Boateng), Dublin (Vassell), Joachim, Merson

SUNDERLAND: Sorensen, Makin, Gray, Thome, Craddock, Williams, Kilbane, Rae, Quinn, Phillips (Hutchison), Arca

Att: 27,215

Reading 0 Sunderland 2

October 22, 1994

Sunderland produced one of their best performances under Mick Buxton’s command to storm to a fine 2-0 victory at Elm Park.

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Needing a boost after a dismal goalless draw against Burnley at Roker Park the previous week, Sunderland got the perfect start when defender Andy Melville made the breakthrough after 11 minutes.

Sunderland were solid throughout and deservedly clinched all three points when Phil Gray notched 10 minutes from time, helping take the Rokermen up two places to eighth in Division One, with a record of four wins, seven draws and two defeats from 13 games.

READING: Hislop, Bernal, Kerr, Parkinson (McPherson), Williams, Wdowczyk, Taylor (Lambert), Gooding, Quinn, Gilkes, Osborn

SUNDERLAND: Chamberlain, Kubicki, Ord, Martin Gray, Ball, Melville, Smith, Snodin, Goodman, P Gray, Russell (Rodgerson)

Att: 10,757

Sunderland 4 Swindon Town 0

October 22, 1988

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Sunderland climbed five places to 14th in Division Two after recording their best win of the season so far.

Prior to kick-off, Denis Smith’s men had won just twice in their first 10 matches since promotion, but Sunderland showed their qualities in an impressive all-round performance to send Swindon packing.

Gary Owers made the breakthrough in the 20th minute, and Marco Gabbiadini doubled the advantage seven minutes later.

Two goals in seven second-half minutes killed off the Robins, Billy Whitehurst striking on 73 minutes, for his second goal in red and white, and Gabbiadini’s second completing the scoring.

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SUNDERLAND: Hesford, F Gray (Bennett), Agboola, Ord, MacPhail, Doyle, Owers, Armstrong, Gabbiadini, Whitehurst, Pascoe

SWINDON TOWN: Digby, Hockaday, King, Jones, Parkin, Gittens, Foley, Calderwood (Henry), Barnard, White, Barnes

Att: 13,520

Sunderland 1 Middlesbrough 0

October 22, 1985

Sunderland secured three much-needed points from their Wear-Tees derby at Roker Park, only their second home win under boss Lawrie McMenemy.

The victory, a week after a 2-1 success at Carlisle, helped lift the Rokermen up to 16th place, having been 21st going into the Brunton Park game.

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The biggest home crowd since the opening day of the season saw Eric Gates pounce for the only goal in the 20th minute, beating Steve Pears for his fourth goal of the league campaign.

SUNDERLAND: Bolder, Burley, Kennedy, Elliott, Agboola, F Gray, Pickering, Venison, Gates, Gayle, Atkinson (Wallace)

MIDDLESBROUGH: Pears, Laws, Heard, McAndrew, O’Riordan, Nattrass, Hamilton, Cook (Beagrie), Slaven, Stephens, Currie

Att: 20,541

Sunderland 0 Manchester Utd 1

October 22, 1983

Sunderland’s three-match unbeaten First Division run came to an end as Manchester United did just enough to claim all three points in a tight battle at Roker Park.

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Alan Durban’s men put up a good fight, but Ray Wilkins grabbed what proved to be the only goal in the 18th minute, converting from the penalty spot.

United had been forced into a very early change, with Lou Macari replacing injured centre-back Kevin Moran after just eight minutes.

Defeat to Ron Atkinson’s United dropped Sunderland place to 17th in the early-season table.

SUNDERLAND: Turner, Venison (Cooke), Elliott, Atkins, Chisholm, Proctor, Bracewell, Rowell, West, Pickering, James

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MANCHESTER UTD: Bailey, Duxbury, Albiston, Wilkins, Moran (Macari), McQueen, Robson, Moses, Stapleton, Whiteside, Graham

Att: 26,826

Mansfield Town 1 Sunderland 2

October 22, 1977

Wilf Rostron was the hero as Sunderland secured their first away win of the Second Division season - at the sixth attempt.

The Red and Whites’ first ever league clash with Mansfield Town began well, with Rostron bagging the opening goal for Jimmy Adamson’s men in just the fourth minute.

Dave Syrett rallied the Field Mill side with an equaliser nine minutes later, but Rostron struck again, eight minutes into the second half, to send the big travelling support home happy.

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The win, a second in succession, lifted Sunderland three places to 14th.

MANSFIELD TOWN: Arnold, Bird, Phillips, McEwan, Foster, Wood, Morris, Moss, Syrett, Hodgson, Aston

SUNDERLAND: Siddall, Henderson, Bolton, Kerr, Elliott, Ashurst, Rostrong, Arnott, Greenwood, Lee, Rowell

Att: 12,827

Sunderland 1 Rotherham Utd 1

October 22, 1960

Sunderland at least stopped the rot of five successive defeats in Division Two, but there was little cheer home fans as Rotherham secured a point.

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After winning two of their first four games, drawing the other, Alan Brown’s men had picked up just three points from the next nine, going into the visit of the Millers.

Things looked bleak when George Darwin gave Rotherham a 10th-minute lead, but Ian Lawther levelled matters just before the hour mark.

Diminutive midfielder Ernie Taylor was forced off injured, after coming off worst in a collision with team-mate Charlie Hurley, midway through the second half, leaving Sunderland, in the days before subs, to play on a man down.

SUNDERLAND: Wakeham, Nelson, Ashurst, Anderson, Hurley, McNab, Hooper, Fogarty, Lawther, Taylor, Overfield

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ROTHERHAM UTD: Ironside, Perry, Morgan, Lambert, Madden, Kettleborough, Webster, Darwin, Smith, O’Hara, Bambridge

Att: 19,240

Tottenham 2 Sunderland 3

October 22, 1955

Super Sunderland reached top spot in the First Division as Ted Purdon bagged the winner at White Hart Lane, for the Rokermen’s ninth win in the first 12 league games.

Charlie Fleming set up Sunderland’s third successive victory, and sixth in seven matches, when he bagged the only goal of the first half, in the 15th minute.

Sunderland doubled their advantage through Len Shackleton on 69 minutes, sparking a sensational nine-minute spell which brought four goals.

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Spurs rallied as outside-left George Robb pulled one back on 72 minutes, then Johnny Brooks equalised at 2-2 five minutes later.

But, within a minute, South African centre-forward Purdon had Sunderland back on top, and they saw out the final 12 minutes to move into pole position in the table.

TOTTENHAM: Ditchburn, Baker, Hopkins, Blanchflower, Clarke, Marchi, Walters, Brooks, Dunmore, Baily, Robb

SUNDERLAND: Fraser, Hedley, McDonald, Anderson, Daniel, Aitken, Bingham, Fleming, Purdon, Chisholm, Shackleton

Att: 36,396