Born on this day in 1953 was a man who made over 100 appearances for Sunderland between 1978 and 1983, the late Mick Buckley.
Buckley was at Everton before Sunderland, making his debut as an 18-year-old and would go on to win the European Youth Tournament with England in 1971/72. He’d actually rejected advances from Manchesters United and City as a schoolboy, to play for Everton.
The Salford-born midfielder became well-known for his tenacity and ability to win the ball back, and was a crucial player at Everton under manager (and former Sunderland player) Billy Bingham. He was in the Everton team that relegated Sunderland at Goodison Park in 1977.
Mick was a £60,000 signing by Sunderland in August ‘78, making his debut in a 3-1 win over Preston in September. It was a resounding win at Roker Park, with Mick Docherty, Wayne Entwistle and Roy Greenwood all scoring for the Lads. Steve Doyle lined up for PNE, a player who would go on to play 100 games for Sunderland later in his career.
Buckley was a promotion winner in 1979/80 with the Lads, and two years later his timely winning goal against Man City on the final day of the season ensured our Division One survival. He was a ‘slick ball-playing midfielder with a waspish tackle’, and after leaving Sunderland in 1983 remained fairly local with spells at Hartlepool, Carlisle and finally Middlesbrough.
But after retirement, Mick fell on harder times and struggled with alcoholism. He lost his job, home and marriage before the Everton Former Players Foundation dug him out of his hole: “That day turned my life round. I was sitting in a pub in Manchester on my own – when you’re an alcoholic you don’t want any company – and my old team-mates Gary Jones and Terry Darracott walked in. They sat down and they said: ‘We know all about you Mike. We’ve come to help you.’
“My first reaction was: ‘What do you mean? I’m fine. I’m great. No problems at all. Just having a drink.’ But they persisted. ‘Mike. You’re not fooling us. We know you’re drinking and you’ve left home. We’ve been to the bed and breakfast and they’ve told us where to find you. Everyone knows, Mike. We’ve come to help you.’ Then I broke down. You get very emotional when you’re in that kind of condition, not for yourself but because of all the people you’ve let down. I don’t know why I started drinking. I used to enjoy a pint, like most people, but my son ended up on drugs when he was just 18. And when you finish playing football, it’s a big step. There’s a big hole in your life to be filled."
Mick sadly passed away three weeks before his 60th birthday in 2013, after fighting a long illness.
