CLIFF - MATT FOSTER

About this brick

The brick was one myself and my late dad, Cliff Foster, shared. My dad was a die-hard Sunderland supporter, and followed them from being a young lad to his final day. He was an Advanced Technician at NEAS in life, and this gave him opportunities to watch Sunderland and get paid for it. He loved any opportunity to get on the pitch, the first of which came when Frank Lebeouf got injured for Chelsea (14-10-00 - we won 1-0). He framed his picture that was in the paper the next day! He also loved taking little bits of trinkets he could get his hands on at the games. Once he managed to get in the home dugout, and found some of Reidy's chewing gum. He was not pleased when some time later, he found that I had ate them (sorry dad!). He was also on the pitch when Diaby was injured for Arsenal, in that horrifying challenge by Dan Smith (01/05/06). He came home with the sock he had cut off the player, in the hopes to potentially sell it on, for those in the market of niche football memorabilia! We shared so many memories of watching the lads together, of which a many make up my favourites. Unfortunately, my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in October 2014, but his love for Sunderland never wavered. He continued to go to games, up until around March 2019, when he became too ill to attend. He passed away on 01st January 2020, and at his funeral, everyone was asked to wear either Sunderland or Beatles shirts; his two greatest loves beyond his family. He is now part of the Sunderland Supporters Heaven Branch. I miss him always, he was simply the greatest man I have ever known. My love for Sunderland comes directly from him, and I will forever cherish that 'til my dying day. I don't get to games that often these days, but any time I do, I always make sure my walk passes by our brick, to give it a touch for good luck. RIP dad, hope you're somewhere cheering on the lads once again.