A RESURRECTION

On the eve of Sunderland's return to the Premier League, local poet Stephen W Atkinson sent us his most recent poem. It's a homage to the players who got us here, back where we belong.

A new era is upon us

The winds of change have blown

We've shed our old nomadic skin

And found our way back home

All those who helped to bring us back

The brink had stared them down

But they found grit, & soul, & heart

Though heavy was the crown

Through every tackle & gasp of breath

For red & white, they bled

Let no man say they did not claw

This club back from the dead

Now, here we are, a club reborn

A chairman with ambition

A plan dismissed in eager minds

Now coming to fruition

The embers from the past are rising

New fires are being stoked

Dare to dream, & dare to hope

Too long have we been choked

This squad of new and old, are now

The faith we hold within

The fire that burns inside our veins

The flesh beneath our skin

So, come on all you red ‘n’ white!

You voices, young & old

Bring back the Roker Roar once more!

There's folklore to unfold…

Ha'way The Lads!

Stephen's poetry book, "Pitmatic Lingo and the Halftime Bingo" is available to order at the ALS Shop.