The Lads welcomed the early opportunity to get Stoke out of their systems by engaging in a proper football match in which we out-muscled, out-fought, and ultimately out-thought our high flying opposition. A cracking game with two cracking goals for us and a daft one for them. Let's just say it wasn't Luke's finest hour, but overall we were well worth the win - even if it wasn't one that, according to some media channels, would define our season. Mind, it's probably/possibly our best win of the season in terms of the opposition. Boom, as they say. Boom.
Away from the field but not the football, the honours list has seen an MBE for Penny Watson, thoroughly deserved for her tireless campaigning on the issue of neurodegenerative problems amongst footballers. Just when you're thinking "well done", along comes an OBE for David Moyes. Perhaps fans of Man U and West Ham feel differently...but explain your reasoning, Charlie, please....and surely there's something in the Honours pipeline for Dr Judith Gates for her work in the same field as Penny?
Also, an investigation has been set away into the conduct of Norwich worky-ticket Sainz - rumours of hockling have emerged, although I reckon it could be to do with changing wings specifically to get involved with RLB. On top of that, Plymouth got themselves mixed up with Portsmouth and sacked their manager - it's Pompey we play at the weekend! Idiots.
As has seemed to be the case a few times this season, other results went our way. Danny Batth with a late leveller against Leeds, other sides making do with draws....I tell yer, the football gods are at last looking at us favourably. Well, apart from the Smogs.
A big away following (as you'd expect if you were up at the top) greeted us, as we lined up
Patterson
Hume O'Nien Mepham Alese
Neil (c) Bellingham
Roberts Aouchiche Mayenda
Isidor
..and a bench of Moore, Cirkin, Jones, Rusyn, Johnson, Connolly, Aleksic, Hjelde, and Ogunsuyi.
...and we applauded the memory of those of both clubs who'd passed away in the last year...with better memories than Sports Personality of the Year.
We defended the North End and they set things away on a cold evening that eventually saw a bit of snow/sner/snaa, depending on which part of the North East you hail from. Mayenda, thankfully, was deployed in more of a Rigg position than out wide, and Aouchiche was the man nearer the touchline. Rather than spend any time sussing each other out, both sides simply went for it from the off, which made for entertaining (if nervous) stuff. Isidor made a good run down the inside-right channel only to see his shot saved, then Mayenda did almost exactly the same. The visitors won a free kick (well, their lad turned inside and fell over with minimal contact) which they launched into the box, as you do, and Luke reprised the shirt-pull that had been perpetrated on Mepham at Stoke, probably in the vain belief that because that one was ignored his would be.
But no. Penalty, and even the most fervent and biased Sunderland fan (me) couldn’t see an argument against one of the few decisions the ref got right on the night . I have official permission from Silent Bob to criticise the ref after being berated for not looking at our own failings in the Potteries, but he got that one right. Down went Patto to his right, and away went the ball. Whoop whoop! That’s thirteen minutes out of the way, we’ve saved the best chance they’re likely to get, and we were looking lively. Five minutes later we had a half-hearted penalty shout of our own, but Paddy won a corner when his effort was pushed away. Close.
A header was flashed wide before we put a bit too much pressure on Patto and he – well, he stayed calmer than over 40,000 home fans as he somehow cleared his lines. We then cleared an attack with about 27 minutes gone (Mepham, I think) with a punt up the field that their defender swung a leg at –and missed, allowing Mayenda to bear down on goal and clip it neatly past the keeper from the edge of the box. A beautiful finish, one that the Lad deserved, and one that sent the home fans into paroxysms of delight (that word won me a bet) as we took a deserved lead. Marvellous, simply marvellous – a proper, quality finish.
We kept that momentum going despite the best efforts of the visitors, who were probably thinking back to when they called us the best team they’d played – we hit one over just before the half hour, then Mayenda galloped away again, only to see his shot go across and wide. We then needed Patto to get down sharpish at the foot of his left-hand post, but when it came back in Luke had a mad moment and dived to head it in. Remember Dickie Ord’s debut, when John McPhail looked at his defensive partner and wondered “what the Hell is this?” Well, that was probably Chris Mepham today.
Anyway, with all of that nonsense swilling round in our brains, Mayenda was away and fed Issy through the inside left channel, from where he had absolutely no right to even hit the target – but he simply opened up his body (as they say) and planted it right-footed across the keeper and into the far side of the net. What a cracker of a goal – a proper goal, a result of playing two forwards, and two forwards as forwards. Yessss!
That didn’t end it, though, as Neil set Mayenda away again, but this time the shot went across and wide on forty minutes, To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I wanted the half to end or to continue, as it was such a game, in which our front two were simply terrifying their central defenders with raw pace, which they didn’t like one little bit. As it was, two added minutes were announced, we deserved the lead at the break, and we actually looked forward to more of the same.
Which we got, personnel-wise, ‘cos we don’t do half-time substitutions. Adil quickly showed why, getting it in from the left only for Issy to be unable to stretch quite enough. On came a couple of Sheffield subs with half an hour to go as we screamed for the third goal to make things easier on our nerves. We came close, most notably when Adil danced in from the left and Jobe fired it over, then we couldn’t quite keep it in after a clever move down our right. Mayenda had a shot blocked, then O’Nien did what he’d been threatening to do all evening, and “took one for the team” with a crude foul thirty yards out. We cleared the following free kick, Sheffield made two more changes, and Patto made another really good save – there’s one for the person whose half time comment was that we should recall Matty Young from his loan because his distribution is so much better than Patto’s. Aye, but can he save penners and shots like that?
With seven to go, Adil left the field to generous and deserved applause, replaced by Hjelde, who is supposed to be a defensive shore-up but achieves that by pretending to be Micky Gray and hogging the left touchline – dinnet knock it if it works. His first contribution was a flick-on to Mayenda, who had yet another shot blocked. Mepham’s header from the corner was saved, then we had to thank Patto for another save during which he got a bang on the head and Issy was booked for pointing that out. A series of corners rained in on our goal, but despite the physical presence of the visiting forward line, we held firm. Four added minutes were announced, and after three of them we brought on Rusyn for Isidor. Why do that, when it adds another thirty seconds onto a game we wanted to be finished?
It didn’t matter in the end, as another Patto save was the only action as we held them off for a thoroughly deserved win.
Unbeaten in 2025 – I’ll take that.
Man of the Match?
Good stuff from Patto, good stuff from Neil and Bellingham in the heart of midfield, good stuff from Isidor, mad evening from Luke. My choice? Mayenda, who showed a great blend of pace and power as well as a lovely finish. Nice one. Eli.
