On This Day (4th August 2017): Sunderland begin life back in the Championship!

Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images

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We couldn’t say it hadn’t been on the cards for a good few years, but David Moyes didn’t half make sure we went down without an ounce of fight.

First, the former Manchester United manager announced we would have a fight on our hands after defeat to Middlesbrough in only the second game of the season. Then we’d not see a win in the first ten league games, waiting for the eleventh fixture at Bournemouth on bonfire night to record a 2-1 win.

This triggered a period of false hope, in fact, mainly because

we were prepared to cling on to anything, but also because we won four in seven, but after that, we won two in the remaining twenty-one games.

After relegation it was quickly apparent that Moyes wanted nothing more than to leave the club and it also became clear that the owner Ellis Short had lost all interest in his little hobby that was owning Sunderland AFC.

We desperately needed something to pick us up. A big character to replace Moyes, who the fans could get behind. Sometimes an appointment at times like these has nothing to do with experience or tactical awareness; it just needs someone who lifts the place and gets the fans back behind the club.

We appointed Simon Grayson.

Now, Grayson isn’t a bad manager, his record was pretty good to that point, especially at his previous club Preston North End. And we could all see the reasons why he was given the job - but he wasn’t the name that would lift the club from where Moyes had dropped it.

The former Aston Villa full-back was appointed with around a week of June remaining, and within a fortnight had lost Jermain Defoe, Sebastian Larsson, Jan Kirchoff, Joleon Lescott, Steven Pienaar, Will Buckley, and Victor Anichebe all on free transfers, and Jordan Pickford left for £30m to Everton.

Photo by Scott Heppell/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

The assumption was that the transfer of Pickford would provide the funds for us to strengthen with the aim of a swift return to the top flight and no doubt Grayson saw this as his big chance to do this from a personal viewpoint - as he will at the end of his career by the looks of it. But with big earners still on the books, it was simply swallowed by the crippling wage bill.

Aiden McGeady arrived from Everton for around £250,000, James Vaughan from Bury and Jason Steele from Blackburn signed for around £500,000 and Robbin Ruiter came from Utrecht on a free transfer ahead of the opening day of the season.

On paper, pre-season was decent, until a disastrous day on and off the pitch against Celtic at the Stadium of Light did more to dampen the mood, which was followed by Darron Gibson’s recorded rant under the influence, so by the time Gary Rowett’s Derby County arrived, there wasn’t much optimism left around the place.

Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images

But, nearly 30,000 turned up for the fixture that kicked off the EFL season as it was moved to the Friday night for the Sky cameras and ahead of kick-off, there was a pre-match minute’s applause for Sunderland fan Bradley Lowery, who lost his battle with neuroblastoma the previous month.

In the first ten minutes, things looked promising. George Honeyman, loan signing Lewis Grabban and new-boy McGeady all had opportunities to give Sunderland the lead, but after eleven minutes Bradley Johnson gave the away side the lead.

I doubt any of us expected Sunderland to get back in it, we were too used to seeing us crumble, but a few minutes before half-time, Jacob Butterfield was adjudged to have handled in the area, and Grabban stepped up to slot home the spot kick and level things going into the break.

In the second half, it could have gone either way with both sides having chances to claim all three points, but it would end in a 1-1 draw, which meant we still had no league win in August since 2010 and no home win in the calendar year of 2017 was delayed once more.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

But Grayson was hopeful based on what he saw during the game:

The most important thing is we didn’t crumble. Previously this team might have gone under. We got on the front foot and asked questions of Derby. People have questioned the players’ desire this week but what you saw was eleven players who chased every ball. Testament to that was the round of applause from the supporters.

He would last until Halloween.

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Friday 4th August, 2017

Sky Bet Championship

Stadium of Light

Sunderland 1-1 Derby County

[Grabban 42’ - Johnson 11’]

Sunderland: Steele, jones, Browning, Kone, Galloway, Honeyman, Cattermole, Ndong, McGeady, Vaughan, Grabban Substitute not used: Ruiter, Matthews, O’Shea, Gibson, Gooch, Khazri, Asoro

Derby County: Carson, Wisdom, Forsyth, Butterfield, Keogh, Davies, Russell (Bryson), Huddlestone, Martin (Nugent), Johnson, Weimann (Vydra) Substitute not used: Mitchell, Baird, Pearce, Bennett

Attendance: 29,578

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