Paul Days is back in our shops with his third book in a planned trilogy about Sunderland AFC , just in case you didn’t know it’s called Stars In Stripes - Sunderland AFC as the Vancouver Royal Canadians.

A lot of people, including myself, did not have a clue what the book was about but this is typical of Days, publishing forgotten stories that every Sunderland fan will find interesting. The book celebrates the 40 th anniversary of Sunderland playing as the Vancouver Royal Canadians as well as informing you how the North American league, that the Royals played in 1967, came about.

To quote the introduction of his book, Days still reports incidents a little closer to home thinking ‘it would be interesting to not only explore the 1967 United Soccer Association League but also take a look at Sunderland AFC in the 1960s including the 1966 World Cup, which of course used Roker Park as a venue for some of the matches.’

The 60s was a decade that has been somewhat lost in Sunderland’s history, speaking as a young Mackem I can recall events from the all eras but become lost when asked about the swinging 60s and how good old Sunderland faired, therefore this book has added another dimension to my knowledge of Sunderland and because of it made me fall further in love with the red and white stripes.

I’ve had the pleasure to read and review all three of Days’ books and find it difficult to pinpoint exactly where I got my enjoyment. This is the biggest compliment I can give because it shows that every part of the books possess high levels of interest, something that can be quite difficult, especially when reporting facts.

This book is more than a documented version of events, Days has a unique ability to transform boring statistics into real-life stories which explains the success of his first two books and makes me think his third will follow suit.

I think it’s only fair for the man himself to have the last word so I’ll leave you with a final thought from Paul Days…

‘All in all it’s a nice end to my trilogy of books and, as is customary, adds to our knowledge of Sunderland AFC , rather than replicating any previous publications.’

Stars in Stripes - Sunderland AFC As The Vancouver Royal Canadians is available to buy at our shop, click here for more details.

Other Paul Days books include:

Sunderland AFC ’s Finest Matches 1879 to 1939
The Battle For A Town - Sunderland AFC v Sunderland Albion

James Henderson