I was reminded yesterday that it was 50 years ago that I sat down in front of the TV to watch Sunderland AFC beat Leeds United by a single goal in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on May 5, 1973.

At the time it was regarded as one of the biggest upsets in football history – Sunderland, who were playing in what was then known as Division Two, defied the odds when Ian Porterfield scored that goal against the then Division One champions.

However, the hero of the day was goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery who managed a miraculous double save to keep a clean sheet.

I did get the autograph of team captain Bobby Kerr a few years later and to this day I am still a fan of Sunderland and, when I was working in the north east of England, I was asked to shoot a portrait of the hero goalkeeper for the Sunday Sun.

It was good to meet one of my childhood heroes at his home and he was genuinely a nice guy. I decided to recreate an iconic photo of him, holding the trophy from 1973, in his back garden.

And, a year later, I was asked to photograph the then current Sunderland squad striker Niall Quinn for the Sunday Express. The team were hoping for promotion back into the Premiership.

The Irishman was also a genuinely nice guy and, when I arrived at the restaurant where he was being interviewed by the reporter, he even asked if I wanted something to eat.

I shot a few portrait shots of him while he was being interviewed and later, as were were on the coast, I suggested we should do a few pictures on the beach. And the paper decided to use two of my photos with the interview and I even got a byline.