My much-loved Grandpa Parnaby, who passed away in 2012. He'd been going to watch the Lads since the late 1920s and took me to my first match in May 1986 (versus Stoke). He was very keen that I followed Sunderland, and if it meant he could get out of Boxing Day dinners or other commitments because 'David wants to go to the match', I guess that worked out well for everyone! We were a few minutes late arriving for the Stoke game, so my first experience of the Roker Roar was actually outside the ground, and I'd never heard anything like it - until a couple of minutes later when I heard it again but even louder as we were stood at the turnstile! The first had been for us winning a penalty, the second had been Mark Proctor scoring it. It was so loud, I remember telling my Grandpa that I thought the walls were falling down. He stayed until the end of every match and, although he was a kind, Godly man who I never heard swear in my life, that didn't stop him vociferously booing off the referee and linesmen without fail - regardless of the result, or their performance. He was particularly suspicious of bald linesmen, who he reckoned were always poor! He had no love of 'that lot up the road' and would always happily report any poor result for them, but I think he still remembered fondly his early decades of watching football, when there was the rivalry but without the animosity. He saw some poor times for the club (especially having grown up on that magnificent football of the 1930s), but his love and support never wavered and I got the impression he knew the only way to cope was to enjoy the good times, and realise the bad times are just the bits that are filling in the gaps until it comes good again. He was an avid reader of the Football Echo, and would post his copy to me when I was away at University, or with work (even to Israel when I was out there for a few months!) and there's a lovely interview with him for the 'Roker Memories' feature in the Echo in around 1996. We paid several visits to the Stadium of Light as it was being built and, whilst attending matches there was perhaps never the same as Roker Park for him, I know he was very proud to be part of it by having his name on that brick. Thank you so much for 'rediscovering', it for me, and giving me an excuse to think back to some very happy times.
Shared by Wall of Fame archive · 28 April 2026