Christmas comes earlier every year supposedly, but for Sunderland fans it currently feels as if the club is light years on from where it was 12 months ago, when a remarkable come from behind win against
Swansea City had us all in raptures.
We are just 365 days on from that trip to Wales but compare the squad from that match with the team now expected to line up against Newcastle United this afternoon and you will get a real sense for the rate of progress since then. At best there will be three, but most likely fewer, players still involved in the starting XI that were around last season, but whilst some of their old teammates have since dropped out of the picture their roles were essential at the time.
The promotion winners of 2024-25 helped usher in a new sense of hope at SAFC that has supporters looking very much ahead. It wasn’t all that long ago that people were unsure of what to make of head coach Régis Le Bris however, with the summer appointment experiencing a loss of momentum in the build-up to Last Christmas.
Prior to that, the Lads had been flying under their new French connector. Four Championship wins out of four, with just one goal conceded during the run, had Sunderland leading the fledgling table and it wasn’t until a run of five successive draws that they fell out of the automatic spots. An unfortunate defeat to fellow promotion hopefuls Sheffield United then cast further doubt on the push, with some wondering if Le Bris had just been enjoying a touch of ‘beginners luck’ – only for their fears to be eased when the team showed real determination to see off Stoke City in filthy weather conditions and then grab an equaliser against Bristol City a couple of days after.
Patrick Robert’s last gasp leveller against the Robins certainly set things up nicely ahead of a game with the Swans, but for all it was celebrated that fight-back soon paled into insignificance in terms of drama when put up against the resurgence seen in Glamorgan – Le Bris’ men proving beyond all doubt that they had the mental strength needed to achieve their aims.
The Jacks had initially taken an early lead through Zan Vipotnik, who capitalised on some defensive hesitancy to score from close range. Having then tested Anthony Patterson, Liam Cullen added a second less than 20 minutes in with a free kick to leave shell shocked Sunderland looking very uncertain, but it wasn’t long before they pulled themselves round – and getting back into things before half-time handed them a vital lifeline.
Dan Ballard did well to angle a header into the net as he connected with a set piece that had been whipped into the box by Trai Hume, and once the break was over the Lads started moving building up a head of steam. Now looking more composed and able to push men forward, a string of chances was created before Dan Neil levelled things up with a screamer. Collecting the ball from Jobe, the captain drove through the middle of the park before firing in an unstoppable 20-yard effort, and whilst he was keen to get back on with the action as soon as possible the celebrations that followed the next goal were much more prolonged.
Swansea were the ones that were rocking now, but unlike their opponents they were unable to gather themselves and just two minutes on from Neil’s excellent solo strike they found themselves behind, albeit this Sunderland goal was via an excellent team move. Hume, Patrick Roberts and Chris Rigg worked down the right-hand side before the ball was put on a plate for Jobe to smash past Lawrence Vigouroux, and with the turn around complete wild scenes behind the goal followed.
With the players as ecstatic as the supporters the ‘limbs’ shown suggested that everybody in red and white knew that this was big. The three points were a massive confidence boost and helped keep the squad in the promotion frame, making this game a pivotal step towards what came afterwards. Since plunging into League One many players have come and gone, and whilst several of them failed to make an impact the ones that did aid the revival will always be valued. Jon McLaughlan for example, an unused substitute for Swansea on this day, did what he could, and the ones that built on that to deliver two promotions and get the club back to where it now is did so, like they did in Wales, by keeping going Til The End…
Saturday 14 December 2024
Sky Bet Championship
Swansea City 2 (Vipotnik 5’, Cullen 17’)
Sunderland 3 (Ballard 28’, Neil 73’, Jobe 75’)
Sunderland: Patterson; Hume, Mepham, Ballard, Cirkin (O’Nien 70’); Rigg, Neil, Jobe; Roberts, Isidor, Mayenda Unused: Moore, Hjelde, Alese, Jones, Aleksić, Aouchiche, Rusyn, Connolly.
Swansea.com Stadium, attendance 15,791
