Gordon rekindles memories of Thorpe

A year on The Wear:The value of a footballer is not always reflected in his price. Because of deeds for Scotland as well as Sunderland, people are beginning to review the €13 million sent to Hearts for Craig Gordon and, increasingly, consider it realistic.

Because of the funeral of Ian Porterfield on Thursday, there has been fresh focus on the 1973 FA Cup-winning team and Jimmy Montgomery's heroics in goal have been replayed. Montgomery joined Sunderland for nothing, made his debut aged 17 and appeared another 622 times. His status on Wearside is not in doubt.

And because of Gordon, Montgomery - and because of the sadness surrounding Porterfield - another Sunderland goalkeeper has re-entered the consciousness. Only the old, the fanatical or Jarrow men will have heard of Jimmy Thorpe, but he should never be forgotten by Sunderland or any football club because Jimmy Thorpe died of football.

The date was February 1st 1936, three months before Sunderland would become champions of England. What a club they were then, winning the FA Cup the following season - two trophies at a time when there were only two trophies.

Roker Park was full for the visit of Chelsea. Midway through the second half, Thorpe fell on the ball in his area and clasped it tightly, thereby signalling the end of Chelsea's latest attack. Three Chelsea players, however, thought otherwise and started kicking at Thorpe's upper body and head. Only when Sunderland defenders intervened was Thorpe rescued.

But despite rubbing his head and, by reports, looking disorientated as he leant on a goalpost, the referee, a Mr Warr, waved play on and Thorpe stayed on the pitch. No magic sponge was seen.

It was not to Thorpe's or Sunderland's benefit that he continued. Leading 3-1 before the incident, Chelsea quickly scored twice and the game was a draw. Thorpe left the field nursing a worryingly sore head; Mr Warr left escorted by two policemen.

Jimmy Thorpe went back home that night to his house on the edge of town. His father visited to make sure he was all right. It was to be their last meeting. On the Monday, Jimmy Thorpe collapsed and fell into a coma. On Tuesday his situation worsened and on Wednesday he died. He was 22.

The league initiated an investigation, one which absolved Chelsea and Mr Warr, but a new rule was introduced: No longer was any player allowed to try to get the ball from a goalkeeper's grasp by using his feet (Barging was still allowed, of course.).

But that was of no consolation to May Thorpe, who had lost her husband, or to Thorpe's parents who had a lost a cherished son. They were happy and relieved that Jimmy had escaped the poverty of Jarrow, which was so great then that eight months later men from the town would march to the Houses of Parliament. Having gone into the shipyard from school, Thorpe joined Sunderland on his 17th birthday and was in a very talented first-team weeks later.

Thorpe's mother died within three months of her son.

And a rule-change could never console Ronnie Thorpe. Ronnie was three when his father died and there is a picture of him then clutching his father's league title medal, awarded posthumously. It has the feel of John F Kennedy jnr saluting his father's coffin. Bewildered, proud, innocent.

Today Ronnie is 73, and just proud. He still lives in Sunderland, him and Doreen in Tunstall. Doreen's traced her family tree to Cork and "loves Roy Keane". She left Ronnie alone to talk over old photos of his father collated neatly on the diningroom table.

"It's my mam I felt sorry for," Ronnie said. "She was told: 'You're young enough, get a job.' There was some form of benefit for me till I was 16 and she got that to help bring me up. The club did nothing for us then. Only one man from the club showed any remorse, a Colonel Prior, there's a pub named after him in Sunderland. They hadn't sent a doctor to see my dad after the game or anything.

"Imagine if it happened today, there'd be a testimonial, this and that. There was none of that then because footballers were treated like cattle, lowest of the low even though there might have been 60,000 paying to watch them. If someone was injured or sick, clubs simply went and found another.

"Later my granddad would take me to Roker Park and the men on the gate knew him and so they'd let him push me under the turnstiles. But he was never tret with any dignity, I felt.

"The football authorities brought out a new rule, but because my dad had been diagnosed with diabetes a few months before the Chelsea game, they tried to blame his death on that. That was their excuse. The diabetes didn't help him I imagine, but then neither did getting kicked in the head."

The second World War and the simple passing of time meant that for decades Thorpe lay in Jarrow cemetery unregarded.

When the heroes of 1936 were recalled it was Raich Carter and Bobby Gurney.

Ronnie, meanwhile, went into the shipyard, from where his father had been plucked by Sunderland. As a child Ronnie had always been told: "Thorpey, go in goal." Locals remembered his father then.

But it was as a centre half that Ronnie had a trial for Sunderland. "I remember I went on my bicycle to it. It was 'turn up and play' but I had that feeling, you know, that I never sort of fitted in. Southend actually offered me a chance down there but can you imagine what my mam would have thought of that?"

Her alarm is imaginable. But she would have been as proud as Ronnie was the day early last year when Sunderland honoured Jimmy Thorpe. It was the 70th anniversary of his death and the club impressed Ronnie greatly with its kindness and generosity. Thorpe's grave has also been restored, a new headstone is in place. He is not forgotten.

Ronnie still gets to the odd Sunderland match and is reconciled. Bowls is now his game despite a new hip. And he likes Craig Gordon, too. "He was fantastic against Man U, from what I've seen I think he's going to be brilliant. He's young enough, isn't he?"