one of the most striking things about him is that he is very modest. He never looked for glory. I remember one time we were out in Sunderland for a meal and a drink, and people were clamouring to see him. He did all the signing the fans wanted, but then instead of staying with the young fans he went over to these three old men and sat down with them and chatted away and had a drink with them. Later he said to me, “See them? They are yesterday’s men. They have worked all their lives and supported the club. It was nice to go over and chat to them and cheer them up.” That’s the way he is.
‘Charlie always attracted attention wherever he went in Sunderland. Even now when he comes up to Sunderland it’s the same. About three years ago he came up and we went for a game of golf. Word got around that Charlie was about. By the time we reached the clubhouse there was a queue of people looking to shake his hand, get some photos and ask for his autograph. Some of them were teenagers who would never have even seen him play.
‘He has a great sense of humour, too, and loves a good joke. One time we were in the pub together and this gentleman came and joined us. He shook Charlie’s hand and asked who I was. Charlie replied that I was his brother Chris. The bloke said it was lovely to meet me, and we got to chatting. He asked me if I had ever played football. I thought I would get my own back, so I said to him, “Charlie, why don’t you tell my story?”
‘Without missing a beat, Charlie broke into this story about how we had grown up in London and money had been very tight. “Chris was actually a better footballer than me,” he said, “but money was tight, and we could only afford one set of boots and kit, so Chris stood to one side and let me be the footballer.” Well, the gentleman shook my hand and wouldn’t let it go. He told me how much he admired me for what I had done. It was all very much in jest, and we couldn’t keep it going for too long, but we had a good laugh with that one.’
Charlie Hurley, it seems, was a character on and off the pitch. In the late 1960s, alongside goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery, Len Ashurst, Martin Harvey and Jim McNab, he formed one of the most notable and most settled back fives in Sunderland’s history. Hurley was a rock-solid central defender, who, despite being renowned for his heading ability, did not get his first goal for Sunderland until 1960, scoring in a 1–1 draw with Sheffield United. In all he scored forty-three goals for the club.
Charlie would play anywhere his team wanted him. In fact, in one match, against Manchester United in November 1966, he made an appearance in goal after England keeper Jimmy Montgomery had to leave the game because of an injury sustained in the first half.
Charlie’s last goal for Sunderland, a header, came against Arsenal in April 1968, while his last appearance in a red-and-white shirt came at Burnley in April 1969. One of his finest moments for the club was in the FA Cup fifth-round victory at Norwich in February 1961, when he led Second Division Sunderland to victory, scoring the only goal of the match. The team then went on to succumb to the double-winning, Danny Blanchflower-inspired Tottenham Hotspur in the next round.
Len Ashurst recalls what it was like to play with the King: ‘I first signed for Sunderland in 1958, a year after Charlie. He was already established in the side and was vice captain. Alan Brown wanted to shore up a back line that was conceding a lot of goals. Even though he had Charlie back there, the fact was that there were players at the club who were not as enthusiastic about Sunderland as Alan and Charlie, and Alan Brown soon got rid of them. The likes of Jim McNab and I were brought into the first team at that point.
‘One of the first things you noticed about Charlie was that he was a man of principle. He never let his standards drop, and he expected the same from those around him. I can tell you, if you
‘Charlie always attracted attention wherever he went in Sunderland. Even now when he comes up to Sunderland it’s the same. About three years ago he came up and we went for a game of golf. Word got around that Charlie was about. By the time we reached the clubhouse there was a queue of people looking to shake his hand, get some photos and ask for his autograph. Some of them were teenagers who would never have even seen him play.
‘He has a great sense of humour, too, and loves a good joke. One time we were in the pub together and this gentleman came and joined us. He shook Charlie’s hand and asked who I was. Charlie replied that I was his brother Chris. The bloke said it was lovely to meet me, and we got to chatting. He asked me if I had ever played football. I thought I would get my own back, so I said to him, “Charlie, why don’t you tell my story?”
‘Without missing a beat, Charlie broke into this story about how we had grown up in London and money had been very tight. “Chris was actually a better footballer than me,” he said, “but money was tight, and we could only afford one set of boots and kit, so Chris stood to one side and let me be the footballer.” Well, the gentleman shook my hand and wouldn’t let it go. He told me how much he admired me for what I had done. It was all very much in jest, and we couldn’t keep it going for too long, but we had a good laugh with that one.’
Charlie Hurley, it seems, was a character on and off the pitch. In the late 1960s, alongside goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery, Len Ashurst, Martin Harvey and Jim McNab, he formed one of the most notable and most settled back fives in Sunderland’s history. Hurley was a rock-solid central defender, who, despite being renowned for his heading ability, did not get his first goal for Sunderland until 1960, scoring in a 1–1 draw with Sheffield United. In all he scored forty-three goals for the club.
Charlie would play anywhere his team wanted him. In fact, in one match, against Manchester United in November 1966, he made an appearance in goal after England keeper Jimmy Montgomery had to leave the game because of an injury sustained in the first half.
Charlie’s last goal for Sunderland, a header, came against Arsenal in April 1968, while his last appearance in a red-and-white shirt came at Burnley in April 1969. One of his finest moments for the club was in the FA Cup fifth-round victory at Norwich in February 1961, when he led Second Division Sunderland to victory, scoring the only goal of the match. The team then went on to succumb to the double-winning, Danny Blanchflower-inspired Tottenham Hotspur in the next round.
Len Ashurst recalls what it was like to play with the King: ‘I first signed for Sunderland in 1958, a year after Charlie. He was already established in the side and was vice captain. Alan Brown wanted to shore up a back line that was conceding a lot of goals. Even though he had Charlie back there, the fact was that there were players at the club who were not as enthusiastic about Sunderland as Alan and Charlie, and Alan Brown soon got rid of them. The likes of Jim McNab and I were brought into the first team at that point.
‘One of the first things you noticed about Charlie was that he was a man of principle. He never let his standards drop, and he expected the same from those around him. I can tell you, if you
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