Five memorable meetings between Sunderland and Cardiff ahead of Stadium of Light clash

From crucial relegation three-pointers to being hit for a hat-trick by a Newcastle old boy, the Black Cats’ record against the Bluebirds has rarely been dull.

Here, we look at five of the most memorable meetings between Sunderland and Cardiff.

Sunderland vs Cardiff City 5-0 - January 16, 1954

In front of 40,000 at Roker Park, struggling Sunderland dished out a hammering to move clear of the foot of the old Division One.

Sunderland led 3-0 at half-time through two Tommy Wright goals and one by Len Shackleton just before the break.

A quickfire double from Ted Purdon in the 72nd and 74th minutes rounded off the scoring in a resounding victory for the Black Cats which moved them five points clear of bottom club Liverpool.

Cardiff City vs Sunderland 5-2 - April 20, 1963

Late on in the 1962-63 season, a Peter Hooper double saw Cardiff put a dent into Sunderland’s Second Division promotion hopes with two games to go.

The Bluebirds were 4-0 up at half-time through Hooper’s goals, along with one each for Derek Tapscott and Alan McIntosh.

The comeback looked on for Sunderland after a Trevor Edwards own-goal and a strike by Andy Kerr in quick succession early in the second half brought it back to 3-2.

However, a fifth goal through Mel Charles ended any hopes for Alan Brown’s men.

Sunderland vs Cardiff City 3-3 - September 28, 1963

Just five months later, goals came in abundance again in front of more than 37,000 at Roker Park.

Nick Sharkey opened the scoring for Sunderland after six minutes, but former Newcastle striker Ivor Allchurch quickly fired back just two minutes later, only for Sharkey to again put Sunderland ahead.

But Allchurch scored two more goals to complete his hat-trick after just 25 minutes to put Cardiff ahead 3-2 at the break.

However, Charlie Hurley’s second-half goal meant another thriller finished level.

Cardiff City vs Sunderland 2-2 - December 28, 2013

A relegation six-pointer at the bottom end of the Premier League saw Gus Poyet’s men rescue a point after looking dead and buried.

Cardiff had a perfect start as Jordon Mutch scored after six minutes and Frazier Campbell followed with a second after 58 minutes.

But a masterclass of substitutions from Poyet saw Steven Fletcher pull a goal back after 83 minutes, and then Jack Colback’s deflected effort bamboozled home goalkeeper David Marshall to earn Sunderland a share of the spoils.

Sunderland vs Cardiff City 4-0 - April 27, 2014

Having led Sunderland to an unlikely point earlier in the season in South Wales, Gus Poyet oversaw a battering at the Stadium of Light to put distance between the Black Cats and Cardiff at the foot of the Premier League.

Connor Wickham continued his brilliant end of season form, grabbing two goals to fire the Wearsiders out of the relegation zone.

Emanuele Giaccherini and Fabio Borini added to the scoring in what was another crucial victory in Sunderland’s quest for Premier League survival.

Two former Black Cats’ strikers - Frazier Campbell and Kenwynne Jones – featured for Cardiff, but had little joy against the Sunderland defence.