County at St James' Park on 5 October, with three of his goals coming within the space of just 155 seconds. However his return to Park Avenue in his fourth game for Newcastle was not a happy one, as he had a penalty saved by former teammate Chick Farr in a 2–1 defeat to Bradford PA. The "Magpies" boasted a devastating forward line of Jackie Milburn, Roy Bentley, Charlie Wayman, Shackleton, and Tommy Pearson, and totalled 95 league goals in the 1946–47 season, though their tally of 62 goals conceded and 13 defeats left the club having to settle for fifth place. They did though reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup, where they were beaten 4–0 by Charlton Athletic. After the semi-final game he and club captain Joe Harvey went on strike over housing issues; the club's board eventually relented and granted Shackleton the house they had initially promised him, though to save face told the press that Harvey and Shackleton had been in the wrong and had apologised. He further came into conflict with the club at Christmas 1947, when he and goalkeeper Jack Fairbrother refused to join the squad on a scouting party on opponents Charlton Athletic, who they faced later that season in the third round of the FA Cup. Unhappy with the club, he handed in a transfer request, which was granted. Sunderland In February 1948, Shackleton was sold to Newcastle's rivals Sunderland for a British transfer fee record of £20,050. He was one of a number of a squad full of big name players signed by the club for a total outlay of around £250,000 during the post-war era, which earned Sunderland the nickname of the 'Bank of England' club. However Shackleton made his debut in a 5–1 defeat to Derby County at the Baseball Ground, and Sunderland finished just four points above the relegation zone – at that time the club had never been relegated out of the First Division. He later admitted that the players were more a collection of talented individuals than a true team, and that "it takes time to harness and control a team of thoroughbreds. It took time to achieve the blend at Roker Park". Shackleton and centre-forward Trevor Ford would never build any kind of relationship on or off the pitch however, and Ford once threatened to never play in the same Sunderland team as Shackleton until