America here we come! That was the message from the Sunderland team as they headed to the USA for a tournament 59 years ago today.
Sunderland played 12 games in a tournament which wasn’t in England and the Wearsiders did not play as the Black Cats.
It was a strange event in 1967 when Sunderland played under the name of the Vancouver Royal Canadians in a new league.
Stars such as Billy Hughes, George Herd, Jim Baxter, Jimmy Montgomery, and George Kinnell all starred and here’s a photo gallery to explain more about the intriguing competition.
As we gear up for a potentially huge day in SAFC day history today, let’s remember one of the quirkiest sagas in the club’s fascinating past.
Get in touch to share your own memories of Sunderland in the 1960s by emailing [email protected]
9. Ready to go
Billy Hughes and Jimmy Montgomery pictured in Sunderland. Jimmy was flown out to play for the team when Derek Forster was injured but the Black Cats went on a run of four defeats. | se
10. Baxter was inspired
Jim Baxter was in inspired form in the Sunderland side's last match and led the team to a 3-1 win against Stoke (playing as Cleveland Stokers). However, Sunderland's bad run meant they only finished fifth in their Western Division, won by Wolves. Wolves won the grand final, beating Aberdeen 6-5 after extra time in the showdown between the two divisional winners. | Getty Images Photo: Norman Quicke
11. Back in the UK
Then it was back to the UK and training for the new domestic season with Jimmy Montgomery leading the way. | se