Face to Face: Tony Norman

Apr 19 2005 By John Gibson, The Evening Chronicle

Cup run down to Crosby's fry-ups!

Twice Tony Norman walked the walk down Wembley Way with Sunderland.

First for the 1990 play-off final and then the FA Cup showpiece two years later.

Ask him why Sunderland were successful in an emotional Cup run to the Twin Towers and the answer is totally unexpected - because of the fry-ups made by the manager's wife!

Norman had signed for Sunderland in a £500,000 deal that saw Iain Hesford and Billy Whitehurst depart for Hull. First he worked under Denis Smith and Viv Busby - "a great pair" - but Malcolm Crosby was in charge by the time the Cup jaunt was launched upon an ecstatic Wearside.

"Crosser had been reserve team coach and he knew what the lads needed and thought," explained Norman.

"Sometimes when we reported for training he'd tell us just to get changed into our trainers and we'd go for a run.

"We'd end up back at his place - he ran the hostel for the young players - and his missus Carol would make us sausage and bacon sarnies or a fry-up.

"Then we'd jog back to the training ground. It was Crosser's way of increasing team spirit - they call it bonding today, don't they? - and it worked."

Norman's greatest hours were on the Cup trail rather than the final itself - at West Ham in a fifth-round replay and the epic sixth-round replay with Chelsea at Roker Park.

"We were under the cosh against the Hammers," admitted Tony. "I made a save from Tim Breaker that caught the eye because it was hurtling into the top corner but I managed to get across and claw it away with my right hand - the wrong one.

"I have to admit, however, that the West Ham and Chelsea replays were my good moments."

So was the play-off final against Swindon when Norman had a blinder.

"If you remember we beat Newcastle over two legs when Marco Gabbiadini and Eric Gates scored at St James' Park," he smiled.

"The Maggie crowd came on the pitch to try and stop the game and I recall the referee George Courtney saying that if we were all there until 4am the game was going to finish.

"The final at Wembley was disappointing. However, there had been irregularities at the club and after an FA inquiry they were demoted.

"Newcastle tried to say they should go up in Swindon's place because they had finished third in the league but the FA stuck by us and we were promoted."

Southall was an example to us all

Neville Southall always looked as raggy as a tramp and with more pounds than the Bank of England. In other words a fat scruff, while unquestionably one of the finest goalkeepers around.

However, Tony Norman remembers him as a fanatical trainer, supremely fit, and a teetotaller.

As part of the goalkeepers' union, Norman was Southall's room-mate on trips across the world with Wales and he saw everything at close hand.

"The man was phenomenal," he insisted. "And fit, very fit. He used to bring his own goalkeeping coach, Jim Barron, with him when he reported with Wales.

"I remember one Sunday I motored down to Cardiff and was absolutely goosed. But when I got to our room Neville demanded a training session.

"We had to stand in the centre of the goal and Barron would hit low shots inside one post and then the other. We had to get down, make a save, get back up, and dive the other way. Normally I was all right but this day I was struggling - I'd been out the night before because I wasn't playing, I was just cover for Neville.

"I crawled away at the end of that session but Neville placed two cones a few feet outside both posts and began diving at them, one after the other. He was dedicated to his job. I reckon at one time he was the best goalkeeper in the world and was the reason why I only ever got five Welsh caps."

Southall (above) was an influential figure in the Welsh dressing-room that also harboured top performers like Mark Hughes, Ian Rush, Ryan Giggs and the like.

"He was a wind-up merchant but when he spoke players listened," said Norman.

"I remember one day when he nearly had him and me out on strike. We used to get envelopes with our expenses in for travelling down to Cardiff just before the game.

"This time the secretary handed them round as the lads were preparing to go out for their warm-up. The manager was also sitting with us when Southall turned to me and said: `Have you got your envelope, Tony?' I said no and he replied: `Neither have I.'

"With that he took off his boots, chucked them in the corner, and declared: `Neither of us play if we haven't our exes.' I've never seen a hand dive into an inside pocket so quickly."

* Kevin Ball picture: David Rogers /Allsport