Back in the League One days, I remember waking up on a matchday when Fleetwood, Crewe and Morecambe were the opposition.
There was always optimism, but after being scarred on too many of those dismal days, there was more often an underwhelming feeling that we’d be playing against another club who was about to have its big day out against us and ultimately be a massive pain in the arse to play.
Tonight, Sunderland will play Europa League football for the first time ever. We’ll be in European competition
for only the second time in our 147-year history.
It’s a sentence we’ve all read and said out loud, but coming to terms with it has been a different story – it’s like the superhero-to-supervillain equivalent of ‘Sunderland have been relegated to League One’ – it’s very hard to believe.
For years, I’ve dreamt of Sunderland playing in Europe, of having scintillating nights under the floodlights whilst the Stadium of Light was packed to the rafters. We’ve watched many English teams over the years and, in most cases, I’ve had a sense of jealousy whilst looking at my club and thinking, ‘Why can’t you be like that?’
In my 22 years of following this club, the lows have outweighed the highs by a considerable ratio. It doesn’t feel too long since I was sat in Wembley and watched Charlton score a 95th-minute winner to gain promotion to the Championship, a sickening blow after a meek display.
It’s going to be an honour to be in the SoL for its first ever European night and, with the club planning well for the future, it would be lovely to hope we’ll not need to wait another 50-odd years for our next stab at playing on the continent.
Whilst other clubs who have spent hundreds of millions of pounds almost take playing in Europe for granted, having our first effort in decades is something to be proud of, and to do it so soon after the worst period in our history is phenomenal.
We’ve had a tricky start to the season, but we’ve shown in most of our games so far that we’re building on what was achieved last season. There are going to be tough spells this year when we’re fighting on multiple fronts, but the club has prepared for this.
We head into Europe with a number of players who are well versed in European competition, and I’m sure they’ll be gagging to get going tonight. Sunderland AFC will be absolutely fine, and if we do end up thriving in the Europa League, then it will start from a night under the SoL lights in September, with a packed house and dreams of success.
Tonight feels like the first taste of a reward for a fanbase that has gone through the ringer in the last 10 years, but one that has, in the most part, stuck by a club which we just can’t not love.
Sunderland are in Europe. Drink it in, soak it up and know that all of the years of piss-taking by people both outside and inside the club are over, with high hopes the next chapter of SAFC can be even brighter than the last.
After many years of mediocrity – and worse – Sunderland have climbed to heights not seen in generations. The future is brighter than the SoL lights on a crisp European night.
Let’s have it.
