Tottenham Hotspur v Sunderland

A Scottish schoolteacher founded a club in 1879 that, within fifteen years, had become the dominant force in English football.

James Allan, a Scottish schoolteacher, founded Sunderland and District Teachers Association Football Club in 1879. The club quickly outgrew its amateur origins and was elected to the Football League in 1890, where it became the dominant force of the decade, winning three league titles between 1892 and 1895. They were dubbed the 'Team of All Talents' and set the standard for professional football in England.

Born under a streetlamp in 1882, the most decorated club in FA Cup history began as a handful of schoolboys with a ball.

On 5 September 1882, a group of boys from Hotspur Cricket Club and the local grammar school formed Hotspur Football Club beneath a streetlamp on Tottenham High Road. They became Tottenham Hotspur in 1884 and turned professional in 1895. In 1901, Spurs became the only non-league club to win the FA Cup since the formation of the Football League, beating Sheffield United in a replayed final at Burnden Park.

Roker Park was one of the most intimidating away trips in the country, and from 1909 it became a regular fixture for Spurs in the top flight.

Tottenham and Sunderland first crossed paths in competitive football in the late 1890s, though their regular league meetings began after Spurs joined the Football League's Second Division in 1908 and won promotion to the First Division in 1909. From that point, the fixture became a staple of the English top flight, with Sunderland's Roker Park providing one of the most intimidating away trips in the country.

Sunderland's league title in 1936 and FA Cup triumph in 1937 marked the peak of their pre-war power, while Spurs occupied a distinctly lower orbit.

Sunderland claimed their sixth league title in 1936 and followed it with their first FA Cup in 1937, beating Preston North End 3-1 at Wembley. It was the peak of their pre-war power. Spurs, meanwhile, spent much of the 1930s in the Second Division, though they won promotion in 1933 and remained a First Division side through to the outbreak of war. The two clubs occupied different orbits during this period, but their league meetings continued to draw large crowds.

Sixty-four years after Aston Villa, Nicholson's side finally ended the Double drought; Sunderland were not even there to witness it.

The 1960-61 season belongs to Tottenham. Under Bill Nicholson, Spurs won the First Division title and the FA Cup, becoming the first club to achieve the Double since Aston Villa in 1897. Danny Blanchflower, Dave Mackay and Jimmy Greaves defined an era of attacking football that set the club apart. Sunderland, by contrast, were relegated from the First Division in 1958 and would not return until 1964, meaning the fixture disappeared from the calendar during Spurs' finest hour.

A Second Division side, a deflected shot, and one breathtaking save later, the most powerful club in England were heading home empty-handed.

Bob Stokoe's Sunderland produced one of the great FA Cup upsets in 1973, beating Don Revie's mighty Leeds United 1-0 at Wembley. Ian Porterfield's goal and Jimmy Montgomery's extraordinary double save wrote themselves into football folklore. The image of Stokoe sprinting across the Wembley turf in his trilby and raincoat to embrace Montgomery remains one of the Cup's most iconic moments. It was a reminder that Sunderland, even in the second tier, could still shake the foundations.

Seventh place in their first season back; Sunderland announced their return to the top flight rather emphatically.

After years in the lower divisions, Sunderland moved to the 49,000-capacity Stadium of Light in 1997 and won promotion to the Premier League in 1999 under Peter Reid. The fixture with Spurs was renewed in the top flight, and the Stadium of Light quickly established itself as one of the most atmospheric grounds in the country. Sunderland finished seventh in their first season back, their highest league placing in decades.

Three divisions eventually separated these clubs; survival only delays the inevitable.

Sunderland became specialists in Premier League survival during the 2010s, pulling off a series of remarkable escapes. Their 3-0 victory over Everton on the final day of the 2013-14 season, combined with other results, kept them up at the expense of others. But the luck ran out in 2017 when they were relegated, and a second successive drop sent them to League One in 2018. The fixture with Spurs was put on hold as the two clubs found themselves three divisions apart.

A pitch that retracts to welcome NFL crowds; a stadium built for more than football.

Tottenham opened their stunning new 62,850-capacity stadium in April 2019, replacing the beloved White Hart Lane. The ground features the largest single-tier stand in the UK and a retractable pitch that also hosts NFL games. Meanwhile, Sunderland's journey through League One was documented in the Netflix series 'Sunderland 'Til I Die', which brought the club's passionate fanbase to a global audience. Promotion back to the Championship arrived in 2022.

Over 150 competitive meetings and counting; all that stands between a revival is one promotion.

Sunderland's return to the Championship under Régis Le Bris has reignited hopes of a Premier League comeback. The Black Cats have been among the promotion contenders, and a return to the top flight would see this fixture restored at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time since 2017. With over 140 years of shared history and more than 150 competitive meetings, it is a fixture that carries genuine weight whenever the two clubs find themselves in the same division.