A look back on eight incredible Sunderland records that are unlikely to be broken any time soon.
Since Sunderland AFC’s inception in 1879, 145 years of history have been made at the Black Cats.
This has led to many legends, plenty of Sunderland trophies and, as it stands, Championship football heading into the 2024/25 campaign.
Throughout the club’s history, it has had multiple ups and downs as the game has evolved, many of which the Black Cats may never repeat.
In this article, Sunderland AFC News has examined many of the club’s records and has picked out eight which may last the test of time.
Highest appearance maker ever for Sunderland – Jimmy Montgomery
Starting off this list is legendary goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery. Progressing through the Sunderland academy, he made his debut at 18 years old against Walsall in 1960 and went on to play for the Black Cats for 17 straight years.
During this time, Montgomery helped Sunderland win the 1973 FA Cup final, where he kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory over Leeds United.
Upon leaving the club in 1977, the goalkeeper amassed 627 appearances in all competitions. 537 of these came in the league, while 41 were in the FA Cup, 33 in the League Cup and 16 in various other tournaments.
To this day, he holds the title of record Sunderland appearance maker by a distance. Len Ashurst is currently second on the list with 452.
Most hat-tricks and quickest to hit 100 goals for Sunderland – Dave Halliday
Going further into the past, Dave Halliday was a prolific goalscorer for Sunderland back in the late 1920s and the holder of two amazing records.
Joining in 1925, he netted 100 goals in his first 101 games in the top division, which is an English record in itself.
By the time he left the club in 1929, he struck 165 goals in 175 matches. This gives him a record of 0.94 goals per game.
On top of this, he netted an impressive 12 hat-tricks in his Sunderland career despite his short time at the club. He now sits as Sunderland’s third-all-time top scorer.
Longest serving Sunderland manager – Bob Kyle
The manager who would have watched over Dave Halliday’s illustrious Sunderland career, Bob Kyle was invited to take charge of the Black Cats in August 1905.
From here, he managed 803 games at Sunderland, winning 367, giving him a 45.7% victory rate.
This helped him win the 1912/13 top division title where he became the first and only Irishman to win the English top-flight.
He eventually retired from the role in 1928 which ended his 23-year stay as Sunderland manager.
Read more: Sunderland’s all-time record departures.
Record league win – Newcastle 1-9 Sunderland
Sunderland’s record league win would be a result remembered for lifetimes in the modern day. Back in December 1908, the Black Cats travelled to rivals Newcastle in the First Division.
Both were strong competitors near the top of the table, however, Sunderland completely rolled over the Magpies.
Despite being away from home, Sunderland won the game 9-1. To this day, it remains Sunderland’s record league victory, Newcastle’s worst home defeat and the largest Tyne-Wear derby win.
However, Newcastle still went on to win the league that season, nine points ahead of the Black Cats.
Sunderland’s lowest attendance – 1,500 est vs Fairfield 1895
One thing Sunderland consistently prides itself on is its attendance. The club are usually near the top of the average attendance list for the division with the Stadium of Light holding 48,707 spectators.
However, the Black Cats’ support wasn’t always so strong. Back in the 19th century, Sunderland hosted the now-dissolved Fairfield FC. Hosted at Newcastle Road on February 2, 1895, it is estimated that only 1,500 people attended the match.
Most consecutive appearances – Charlie Thomson
Returning to the more impressive Sunderland achievements, Charlie Thomson was a Black Cats player back in the early 20th century.
Joining in 1908, the Scottish international enjoyed a long spell just south of the border lasting until 1918 when he became club captain and led the side to a top-division title.
During this period he amassed 236 appearances, 147 of which were consecutive. To put that into perspective, a modern-day Sunderland player would have to play around three straight seasons without missing a single Black Cats game to match this feat.
Youngest ever Sunderland player – Derek Forster
The final record on this list is one recently talked about. Derek Forster was a goalkeeper for Sunderland who came through the academy.
In 1964, he made his debut for the Black Cats due to an injury to the previously mentioned Montgomery. This saw him start against Leicester in August 1964 in the First Division at the age of 15 years 185 days.
Not only was this a record for Sunderland but also for England’s top division until 2022 when Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri made his debut.
Chris Rigg has come the closet to breaking this record when he came on against Shrewsbury in the FA Cup back in January 2023 and became the club’s second-youngest all-time player.