Sunderland is set to host Manchester City in their highly-anticipated New Home Debut at the Stadium of Light.
In their first competitive match at the brand new stadium, Sunderland beat Manchester City 3-1 in 1997. The team's sparkling performance highlighted what was to come when they took on the best of the league in their new home.
The Stadium of Light was a long time coming for the Sunderland fans. The last home game at Roker Park was a bittersweet goodbye, with the team winning 3-0 against Everton in a game that felt like a visit to a loved relative who was very ill.
The new stadium was a labor of love for the fans, who would drive from North Shields to watch the development of the new cathedral. The ground work was slow going, but the walls started going up, and the new stadium began to take shape.
Sunderland's first league game at the Stadium of Light was a sell-out, with the buzz and excitement tangible in the air. The team didn't let anyone down, opening the new home in a blaze of glory with a 3-1 win over Manchester City.
The team's performance highlighted what was to come when most people got their first glimpse of what was then a new strike force of Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips. The two players grabbed a goal apiece, although it was the third goal from Lee Clark that caught all the plaudits and praise.
The team's manager, Frank Clark, made some key changes to the lineup, switching to a 4-4-2 formation with Phillips partnering Quinny. The new formation paid off, with Quinn scoring the first ever goal at the Stadium of Light after spotting a poor back pass from City defender Tony Vaughan to goalkeeper Martyn Margetson.
The crowd was in raptures, with the "Roker Roar" transported from the old ground. The team continued to attack every time they had possession, but against the run of play, City got their equaliser in the seventy-fifth minute.
Sunderland retook the lead with a goal out of nothing, with Kevin Phillips volleying from close range after a great save from Perez to deny the-then City man Nicky Summerbee. The magnificent night was rounded off in fine style by Clark in the last minute, dribbling his way past three or four City players before firing a low, grass-cutting shot past the hapless Blues keeper.
The final whistle was welcomed by a huge roar by a crowd that had been thoroughly entertained and couldn't have hoped for a better curtain opening to competition in the new fortress.
Source: Yahoo Sports