Martin Harvey always gave his best on the football field, whether it was in the red and white stripes of Sunderland or the green of Northern Ireland. He was a quiet man both on and off the pitch and as such probably doesn't receive the acclaim he deserves.Martin never let Sunderland or Northern Ireland down.His managers knew he could be relied upon to do a no fuss, no frills job of work. The supporters recognised his consistant high class performances as did the players along side him. Martin was a manager's player, a supporter's player and a player's player.

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Any male child (and many female too!) who is born in Sunderland has red and white blood.It's obviously something in the genes, it's instinctive and compulsory, you just can't help it.

I was "blooded" at a very early age on legends like Len Shackleton, Trevor Ford, Colin Grainger, Billy Bingham etc etc etc. My uncle took me along on match days and stood me on a folding stool so I could watch our heroes in action. When I was a little older I was allowed to go to the games with friends and we had our place on the fence at the back of the Fulwell end. The new set of heroes were Charlie Hurley, Stan Anderson, Jimmy Montgomery and of course Brian Clough.

School holidays found us outside Roker Park waiting for the players to emerge from training to sign autographs. Each kid had cut players pictures from the Sunderland Echo and stuck them into a scrap book. The task was then to get the players to sign their pictures.Having said that they were all very obliging and spent plenty of their time signing for the never ending queue of small boys.

Returning home one day from an "autograph hunting session" my mother asked which players I'd "gotten" today. I reeled off a long list and when I reached the name of Martin Harvey my dad said "I know him". This was a major surprise to the family as my father had no interests in sport at all. He told us that Martin and another young Sunderland trainee ,Jimmy Potter***, had come over from Ireland and the club had found them jobs as apprentice painters at the firm where my dad worked as a joiner.

On my next visit to Roker Park I kept a sharp look out for Martin and as he signed my book I blurted out "My dad knows you". I think it was the first time I ever heard Martin speak and in his soft Irish accent he asked "Who is your pop son?"...."Jack Briggs" said I rather boldly and a puzzled look spread across his face. "Jack the Joiner" I added quickly and a smile of recognition appeared.

After this intial introduction Martin always found time to talk to me and my dad would pass little messages on to him with news of his former work colleagues. One day Martin asked if I collected programmes (of course I did) and he gave me a programme from the last away game which was oddly enough at Plymouth Argyle (where Martin had made his Sunderland debut a few years earlier). From then on he would always bring me the "away" programmes which I greatly treasured.

The final home match of the 1963/4 season against Charlton which clinched promotion and the scenes in Roker Park after the game as the team took their lap of honour was probably the first good emotional experience of my life.The team had played well and the supporters knew the fulcrum of the side was the now legendary half-back line of Harvey, Hurley and McNab.

My autograph hunting days ended when I left school and started working for a living, sometimes I even had to work Saturdays so I couldn't even watch the "lads" play. I followed Martin's Sunderland career with interest and also took a keen interest in his International appearances. I was saddened when his playing career ended early because of injury. He had given many years of whole hearted service to Sunderland F.C. and it was only fitting he was rewarded with a testimonial match.I was there of course on that very emotional night.

Martin had probably been playing the best football of his career at that time, he was club captain and leading by example. I would never take anything away from the eleven Sunderland heroes who carried off the F.A. Cup just a few months later in that fairytale win against Leeds United but I just felt a little sad that it wasn't Martin collecting the trophy that May day.Injury had robbed him of one of football's greatest prizes.

After Martin left Sunderland I followed his managerial and coaching career. Occasionly I would spy him sitting on the bench for his team on "Match Of The Day". After Millwall went into administration I lost track of Martin and didn't realise he'd given the game up and gone into business back in Plymouth. Oddly I'm retired now and yet Martin is still working, so I decided it was time there was an "on-line" tribute on the Internet. It seems it's always the bad guys who are remembered and get all the accolades. Martin is a nice guy and this is my small tribute to his career and to the kindness he showed to a small boy over forty years ago.

John Briggs

you can email me at
[email protected]

*** Jimmy Potter was a cultured attacking wing-half who was a regular in the Sunderland reserve side for many years. He never made the first team while at Sunderland but later played league football at Darlington.He captained Linfield in the European Cup and scored the winning goal for non-league South Shields in the F.A.Cup against Crewe Alexandra. Jimmy was still playing amateur football well into his forties and I managed to play against him in a Durham County Challenge Cup Tie.I was at centre forward for Sunderland United and Jimmy was "sweeper" for Penshaw.I never got a kick all match, he intercepted every pass and won every tackle and header. It was a nightmare match for me yet it remains one of the highlights of my own amateur football career.

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