10 Times Sunderland Defied All Footballing Logic

In what was the final season before the Premier League was born, Sunderland were only five points away from dropping into England's third division. The Black Cats had endured a painful campaign in the second division, and any sort of prosperity seemed unlikely.

Similarly to 1973, however, Sunderland started to put together a pretty decent run of cup results. Back-to-back wins against Port Vale and Oxford United meant the Wearsiders all of a sudden found themselves with a place in the last 16.

Miraculously, the second division strugglers then overcame three first division sides (West Ham, Chelsea and Norwich) to book their place in the FA Cup final. Though they went on to lose to a more than decent Liverpool side, Sunderland had still shook up the competition by overcoming test after test en route to Wembley.

The FA Cup proved to be no catalyst for success on Wearside, and it home the following year just how surprising Sunderland's cup run had been when they finished just one point above the relegation zone in England's second tier.