It’s the Hill Dickinson Stadium, it’s 23 minutes into the first half against Everton and the Big Guy from Paraguay, Omar Alderete, is struggling to continue.
There are options for Régis Le Bris to consider – Trai Hume is playing an advanced role and could drop into defence. That would allow either him or Lutsharel Geertruida to partner Nordi Mukiele at the centre of the defence, and the other to fill the right back berth.
Instead Le Bris turns to his bench, summons his knight in shining armour, Sir
Smilesalot, and club captain Luke O’Nien enters the fray.
Since his inauspicious debut in League One against Charlton Athletic almost 8 years ago, where he was hooked at half time, Luke O’Nien has divided opinion. To some, he wasn’t good enough for League One, and versatility and a nice smile were his only saving graces, as he metamorphosed into a right back (who could also fill in on the left). To many of us, his spirit, attitude and professionalism embodied everything that had been missing with so many of the players who had contributed to the club’s spiralling fortunes.
Restored to his central midfield position, nothing epitomised him better than the crunching challenge he made in the late stages of the Playoff final against Wycombe, as he rose from the turf clenching his fist in celebration.
It was that indomitable spirit which carried him through numerous dislocated shoulders, which would eventually require surgery. And there was his comedic side, halting an opponent he couldn’t quite tackle by piggybacking him, and landing a kiss on another who was itching to confront him.
If O’Nien wasn’t good enough for League One, according to his detractors, he certainly wouldn’t cut it in the Championship (if you believe the social media ‘experts’). Fast forward to this time last year, as one of the mainstays of Le Bris’ team goes down clutching his shoulder in the opening minutes against Sheffield United at Wembley, in his 44th appearance of the season, and we all wonder if the early loss of our smiley talisman is a bad omen. Not fit to continue and with his arm in a sling, he kicks every ball on the touchline and joins in the rapturous goal celebrations. And, at the conclusion, as club captain, he lifts the Playoff Trophy alongside team captain Dan Neil.
And, according to some, that would be it – the new 2-year contract extension he signed was simply a reward for helping get the club back to the Premier League. With the influx of new signings, apart from the AFCON period, he would struggle to make the matchday squad, and would head out on loan to a Championship side in the January window.
But Régis Le Bris had other ideas. It didn’t all go smoothly – a 7 minute red card on his 2nd Premier League appearance as a substitute against Manchester City was perfectly in character for such a combative individual. He was confined to a few more minutes as a sub until the FA Cup 3rd round tie against Everton saw him start. It would have been a Man of the Match performance but for Robin Roefs penalty shootout heroics.
It was a similar story a couple of weeks later when O’Nien started in the away win at Leeds, and he recovered strongly from his early mistake against the Mags to help us do the double over our arch rivals.
On the train to Everton, I listened to a podcast where O’Nien spoke about how he reacts to setbacks like that, and how he helps young players to develop their mentality. He is an articulate, intelligent and thoughtful individual. Hearing him talk about the deep analysis he applies to reviewing his own performance, and how he uses that to focus on his development, should be required listening for any young player with aspirations to play professional football.
As anyone who has read my contributions to Roker Report will know, I have long been an advocate for the lad we signed from Wycombe Wanderers what seems like an eternity ago. The club have put out a compilation of his vital tackles and interventions against Everton last Sunday. It is exactly what you would expect from Luke O’Nien, and it was only the brilliance of Enzo Le Fée that deprived him of a Man of the Match award.
If Alderete is not fit to take his place in the team in Sunday’s crucial match against Chelsea, there is every likelihood that O’Nien will be playing, with European qualification at stake. There is no doubt that Sunderland will again strengthen their squad in the summer. But, if we do find ourselves trekking to Kazakhstan or some other far-flung European destination, would you bet against the lad who apparently wasn’t good enough for League One/The Championship/The Premier League getting to make his European debut?
