We normally drive up from Yorkshire for home games but, for a variety of reasons, I attended the game against Crystal Palace on my own. A quick check of rail fares meant that the Grand Central return ticket
was less than £20 (courtesy of being an old git with a Senior railcard) so, accompanied by a Sainsbury’s meal deal and a couple of cans of JD and Coke, I took the relaxing option to head north.
Arriving in Sunderland, I followed the crowds heading for the Keel Crossing. It has been several years since I made the journey from the city centre to the SoL on foot and, for someone who grew up in Seaburn and Roker in the 60s, when the sides of the Wear were dominated by the shipyards of Austin & Pickersgill, Doxfords and others, it was something of a revelation!
As I headed towards the recently opened bridge, the evidence of redevelopment was all around me. New buildings and sites surrounded by Heras fencing, awaiting construction, were everywhere.
The new bridge afforded a wonderful view of the iconic Wearmouth Bridge, through the crowds of supporters making their way to the game, whilst the Stadium of Light itself appeared even more imposing in the distance, from an angle I have never approached it from before. At the other end of the bridge, much of the derelict buildings that had blighted the area for so long have either been refurbished or replaced – the tasteful redevelopment of the historic Sheepfolds Stables is particularly impressive. Of course, the area has been neglected for decades, and there is still much work to be done.
The return journey in the dark, with the opposite bank of the bridge all lit up, around City Hall, was the perfect illustration of how bright the future of the city is looking.
In between, there was the small matter of a fixture against Crystal Palace, who should have been in disarray after the loss of captain Marc Guéhi and the announcement that Oliver Glasner would leave at the end of the season. It proved to be far from the case, with the physically imposing Jean-Philippe Mateta proving a real handful for Dan Ballard. The French striker hit the back of the net with a beautiful piece of control leading to a lethal strike, only to see his effort ruled offside.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Brian Brobbey must have thought he had mistakenly wandered into an MMA cage, as he was repeatedly pushed, pulled, and held without evoking any interest from referee Rob Jones.
A failure to clear the lines after a corner – which came after Jones awarded a contentious free-kick to the away side – led to Palace opening the scoring, and it looked like the Lads were in for a difficult afternoon. But, with Enzo Le Fée pushing up closer to Brobbey, a well-worked cross from Nordi Mukiele found the mercurial little Frenchman. The defenders were already drawn towards Brobbey, leaving Enzo to stroke the ball home emphatically to level the scores, before half-time.
Sunderland started the second half much more aggressively. As the rough treatment of Brobbey continued, referee Jones’ already limited control of the game threatened to disappear altogether, in a flurry of yellow cards. But the burly Dutch striker would have the last laugh. Noah Sadiki burst forward, driving at the Palace defence before chipping the ball towards Brobbey. Just as he had done against Arsenal, he deftly flicked the ball over the advancing goalkeeper and into the net, before collapsing with cramp into the advertising hoardings, in front of a delirious home end.
Sunderland continued to press and Trai Hume was denied by Henderson and the bar, much to my disappointment as I had a bet on the Irishman to score!
Mayenda replaced the tiring Brobbey and as Palace pushed forward unsuccessfully in search of an equaliser, both he and Dan Ballard were denied from close range by Dean Henderson. Dennis Cirkin replaced Romaine Mundle in the dying minutes – the young winger having shown that he is adapting to the demands of Premier League football, linking up effectively with Sadiki and Reinildo on the left, and contributing defensively. Chemsdine Talbi is due back after the AFCON final but he has had little game time in the past few weeks, so having other options is essential for Le Bris.
There was a particularly significant moment as the players left the field. Normally the celebrating fans sing in praise of Granit Xhaka – instead the strains of ‘We’ve got Le Fée’ rang out in unison, his misfortune in the Brentford game banished to the annals of history. Afterwards, he spoke about how important the support of the crowd meant to him, a salutary reminder of how much we react as fans can impact our players.
Another comeback win, up to eighth place in the League, unbeaten at home, another three points on the board and just seven more needed in 16 games to reach the magic 40-point mark – all in all, a very satisfactory afternoon’s work by the Lads. For a returning son of the city, it was equally pleasing to see the upturn in the area which surrounds the Stadium of Light.
As I headed home, I was left with one overriding impression – Sunderland AFC and the city the club calls home are marching together in lockstep towards a long-overdue renaissance in their fortunes.
