The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
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Return of the Cup
There’s a rapturous welcome from football fans to celebrate a fairy tale win as underdogs Sunderland return home with the FA Cup in 1973.
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Overview
It was one of the biggest shocks in the history of the FA Cup championship – and disastrous for the bookies. The whole city is a sea of red and white as Second Division team Sunderland beat the odds and return to Roker Park with a magical 1-0 Wembley win against formidable ‘football machine’ Leeds United. The victory also encourages a huge crowd next day for Sunderland’s last home match of the season against Queens Park Rangers.
It’s hard to imagine today’s footballers being impressed, but each Sunderland player received a gift of Pyrex tableware from Joplings department store for their win. Both newcomers to Sunderland in 1972, amateur filmmakers Michael and Linda Gough enjoyed producing this off-the-cuff newsreel-style documentary, filmed with Super 8 cameras on high speed Kodachrome stock (hence the graininess). This is superb local reportage, photographs compensating for the lack of live footage at Wembley Stadium. In 1972 the Goughs also joined the Newcastle and District Amateur Cinematographers Association (ACA), a sole survivor of the first five British amateur cine clubs formed back in 1927.
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