The £1.5million race to get Sunderland's Roker Park ready for the season in 1991

Contractors moved on to the site, pledging to pull out all the stops in a bid to get work done in time for the new football season.

Changes meant that at least 1,000 seats would be lost, including the director’s box, to make way for enlarged gangways and a new entrance.

Big changes for the Main Stand

The Main Stand, famed for its red and white criss-cross facia, was built in 1929 at a cost of £25,000 by architect Archibald Leitch.

It originally contained 5,875 seats but when the latest renovations were completed the capacity would be reduced to just over 4,000.

A further 100 seats were lost in the Clock Stand, but fears that the Fulwell End capacity would also be reduced were averted.

‘Roker Park will be like a building site’

Chairman Bob Murray said at the time: “All of a sudden in one fell swoop we have been forced to spend almost £1.5million on ground improvements.

“Roker Park will be like a building site over the next few weeks and the contractors are very positive that they will be finished for the start of the season.

Over to you for more memories

Mr Murray added: “The initial cost was about £1million, but we have now discovered that there is not enough water supply which is going to cost a further £50,000.”

Tell us about your memories of Roker Park after it underwent changes in the early 1990s.

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