Kevin Kilbane was part of a Sunderland side that enjoyed some of the club’s most memorable years in the Premier League, with back-to-back seventh-place finishes and a dressing room packed with characters and quality.
From working under Peter Reid to experiencing the unforgettable derby-day victory at St James’ Park, Kilbane has plenty of memories from his time on Wearside.
On Wednesday 28 October, Lewis Forbister caught up with the former Sunderland midfielder to look back on those years, the people
who made an impression on him and the moments that have stayed with him throughout his career.
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‘That was huge for me’
Kilbane enjoyed an immediate taste of success after breaking into the Preston North End first team, helping the club secure the Division Four title during his first season as a professional.
Reflecting on that achievement, he explained just how much it meant to him at the time.
“I had instant success in the game, which is unusual for any player. That was my first year as a pro and I think I only played 15 games that season. It was my breakthrough year.
“To win that championship in my first season was fairly unique to most players and I love the fact that it happened.
“There’s various things to how you’re going to gauge your career. Some people like to measure it by how many trophies you won, and I think when you’ve played the game, you have few chances to go and win something, so personally that was huge for me.”
‘It’s an easy one, Sam Allardyce’
When asked which coach had made the biggest lasting impression on him during his development at Preston, Kilbane didn’t hesitate in naming Sam Allardyce.
Allardyce had worked with him from a young age and played a significant role in helping him make the transition from academy football into the first team.
“It’s an easy one, Sam Allardyce. Sam was my coach from 14-15 years old at Preston. He signed me to the YTS scheme, as it was, seriously pushing me at 16-17 to get first-team football.
“But easily the three to four years I had with Sam, and how he pushed me and the confidence he gave me, it’s a no-brainer for me.”
‘As a team we had such good players’
Kilbane’s time at Sunderland saw him become part of a side that enjoyed back-to-back seventh-place finishes in the Premier League.
Looking back on that successful period, he was keen to highlight the quality throughout the squad, as well as the togetherness that made the group so special.
“As a team we had such good players. Obviously, we had Quinny [Niall Quinn] and Phillips [Kevin Phillips] up front, and Kev and his relationship with Quinny, Gavin McCann in midfield, Micky Gray and Jody Craddock, Julio Arca coming in after that. Wherever I looked round, we had great players. We had an excellent goalkeeper in Tommy Sørensen.
“Peter Reid, Bobby Saxton and Adrian Heath, the manager and coaching staff. We had something very unique and probably something that I never experienced throughout my career after I left Sunderland, where we had such a tight-knit group of players that were all-in with the manager.
“Peter Reid notoriously, and everyone’s seen how strict he was with the players, how he could give us a bollocking, no problem. He would tell you and everything like that, but the following day you went in and you forgot about it because of the respect you had for Peter Reid and how we all just wanted to play for him.”
‘Wherever we went, we packed out the away end’
Sunderland supporters have always been renowned for their travelling support, and Kilbane remembers that backing being particularly impressive during his time on Wearside.
He recalled one away trip in particular, highlighting the numbers that followed the team across the country.
“I remember one night we went down to Cambridge for a game and we had a big win, and there were about 4,000 Sunderland fans. Wherever we went, we packed out the away end, and that was something very gratifying as a player. It was peak Sunderland.”
‘People to this day come up to me in the street and mention that’
When asked about the individual moments that had stayed with him from his Sunderland career, Kilbane picked out a memorable goal against Southampton at The Dell.
His overhead kick secured a 1-0 victory, and it is clearly a moment that supporters still remember him for.
“From an individual point of view, I scored an overhead kick down at The Dell in a 1-0 win over Southampton. That was a nice moment for me, and people to this day still come up to me in the street and mention that. It was one of the better goals I scored in my career.”
However, when it came to choosing one day from his career that he would love to experience all over again, there was only ever going to be one answer.
Kilbane immediately recalled Sunderland’s famous derby victory at St James’ Park, when Tommy Sørensen saved a late penalty from Alan Shearer before Niall Quinn’s winner sealed an unforgettable afternoon.
“I think from a one-off day, it was when we beat the Mags at St James’ when Tommy Sørensen saved that penalty from Shearer late on in the game. Quinn’s winner from the header from a cross by Micky Gray, and Don Hutchison put us in front. That day was unbelievable. The atmosphere going to the game on the bus was electric. It was great. What a day.
“If you could have one day back in your career, it would be that one.”
