For the 1905/06 season Sunderland would play 38 games, the league having been extended by 2 teams. As with the Mr Smith case in the 1950's the fallout from the McCombie affair had a profound effect on the clubs fortunes. For the next 3 seasons our performances were terrible and in each campaign we would end up with fewer points that games played. Only 1896/97 season was comparable with this fact.

Tommy Tait was recruited from Bristol rovers and Harry Low from Aberdeen, but our defensive record let us down badly. Farquhar was installed as club captain. During the campaign we conceded 49 goals on our travels and in the 38 games played during the season we kept only 9 clean sheets.

Funnily enough the campaign started brightly with a 3 v 2 home defeat of Newcastle United, but 5 successive league defeats had us in deep trouble. The performance of Naisby in the Sunderland goal is worthy of praise. If it hadn’t been for him, most notably at Aston Villa, the defeats would have been much, much heavier than they transpired. Raisby had been signed from Reading.

Strangely the 16 September game against Liverpool was deemed to be a benefit match for J Watson, the Sunderland full back, and 20,000 people turned up. Doig was in goal for The Scousers. 11 November saw Sunderlands first game at Coventry road against the now renamed Birmingham, previously known as Small Heath.

By the end of the year we had some crushing defeats inflicted on us including a 2 v 5 reverse at Molineux. Things were not going well.

20 January 1906 and the combined Everton & Liverpool Match Day Programme indicated that the Liverpool v Sunderland fixture was deemed as a benefit game for Maurice Parry, the Merseyside right half back.

Typically just when league form was deserting us we progressed in the FA Cup. Notts County were despatched in round 1, Gainsborough Trinity, after a replay in round 2 and by the time we travelled to Plumstead the home of Woolwich Arsenal on 24 February the club was quietly confident that this was to be our year. The gunners hammered us 0 v 5, once more the cup exploits were a shattering blow.

For the Arsenal game Sunderland had travelled to the capital on the Friday with a new signing, McKenzie, a centre forward from Third Lanark. He had previously been on loan. After the defeat in London our league fortunes took and upswing, and in truth the 4 consecutive victories probably saved us. One of the successes was a 7 v 2 demolition of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Things however took a nosedive and the season ended badly with 10 goals conceded in the last 3 games, 5 scored by Manchester city. The season was best forgotten and everyone hoped that this was a temporary blip.

The Annual Report dated 3 July started "your directors have to report a very unsatisfactory season...." and indicated that they were far from happy with things. Whilst injuries and the unavailability for top class replacements had hindered progress things were not good. As if to emphasise the injury crisis which had afflicted the club during the campaign, medical expenses were £1,100 more than previous.

After some £122 had been written off for bad debts and £849 for depreciation the profit and loss account showed an unfavourable balance of £1,299.