A fantastic night out!
Thursday, 10 November 2006
Two football legends meet in less adversarial circumstances at the SRCA Sportsman's Dinner.
On the left is Dominic - Nic - Sharkey. Nic joined Sunderland AFC from Scottish Schoolboys in May 1958 and played for Sunderland until October 1966, when he transferred to Leicester. He made 117 appearances for Sunderland, scoring 62 goals. He played in the 1963-64 promotion wining side, alongside fellow Roker greats Jimmy Montgomery and Charlie Hurley, when he enjoyed a formidable scoring record with strike partner Johnny Crossan.
Paddy Crerand played for Celtic - 1957 to 1963 - and Manchester United - 1963 to 1970 - where he was a creative player with superb vision and excellent passing ability. Paddy made 91 appearances for Celtic and 304 for Manchester United. He was also capped 16 times for Scotland.
The Sunderland RCA Sportsman's Dinner at the Tavistock Roker Hotel gave all who attended a fantastic night of entertainment. Guest speaker Paddy Crerand spoke about his days playing alongside fellow Manchester United legends such as George Best, Denis Law, Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles as well as the Scotland - England matches in which he played.
Entertainment was provided by Lea Roberts, a top comedian and ex-Rugby League professional.
Thanks to all those who helped organise and support the event, which raised much needed funds for the club. Particular thanks go to Barry Robson, Commercial Director for SRCA, for his masterminding and compering the evening.