O'Neill's trip down memory lane

Martin O'Neill takes a trip down Memory Lane on Saturday when he takes Villa to Sunderland.

Despite growing up in Northern Ireland, Sunderland were O'Neill's boyhood team because of their Irish captain Charlie Hurley, who played for the Wearsiders between 1957 and 1969. Hurley, who played 358 league games for Sunderland and won 43 caps for Ireland, was a centre-half collosus and hero to the boy O'Neill, who followed the team's progress by radio and in the papers.

"They're my old team I supported as a kid because Charlie Hurley was my hero – the captain of the side and a ball-playing centre-half," said O'Neill, who was vigorously pursued by Sunderland during summer 2006 before he accepted the challenge at Villa.

"It was the early 1960s and a lot of people growing up in Ireland in those days would have chosen Manchester United, Tottenham and later Liverpool.

"Sunderland were always my team, but because of where I was brought up and the type of background in Ireland where you were Celtic or Rangers.But in England, when everyone was choosing their side, mine was Sunderland.

"But because of Charlie, Sunderland were my team." O'Neill has a photographhic memory of those times and recalls vivid details of some of the team's achievements.

"Brian Clough was also a player for Sunderland at that time – he did his knee injury in Boxing Day, 1962 against Bury," said the Villa boss.

"I remember Charlie Hurley missed a penalty that day and Sunderland lost their first game at Roker Park for two years."

O'Neill's recollections of Sunderland are all the more remarkable because he never got to see the team play live.

"I never got to see them play because it was too far to travel but I used to follow them on the radio and in the newspapers," he said.

O'Neill admits the feeling has never left him despite the passing years.

"The sparkle never leaves you but it's do with growing up and becoming a professional," he said.

"The first time we played Sunderland at Roker when I played was in 1972-73 when they won the FA Cup," he said. "They were i were a very good footballing side with Dennis Tueart and Bobby Kerr and they beat us about 4-0 or 4-1 at Roker.

"When O'Neill was manager of Leicester he went to one of the last games at the old Roker Pare and Sunderland were beaten by Southampton.