Tonight marks Dan Ballard's 50th appearance as a Sunderland player. The centre half has reflected on his time at the club, spoke highly of the fans and looks ahead to Hull at the SoL...
50TH GAME
“It’s a proud moment. I’ve enjoyed my time here a lot, I think the fans have welcomed me from the start and I’ve tried to repay them with my performances on the pitch and I hope they can see I’ll always give 100%. It’s nice to hit 50 games and hopefully there’ll be many more.”
SUNDERLAND SECOND HOME
“It’s down to the area, the people, the club, the staff. Everyone’s made me feel really welcome and it’s helped me settle off the pitch. I come here every day and enjoy coming to training, working with the lads. Every week, not just me but all the players want to put in good performances for the fans because they travel home and away, they’re there every week no matter whether we’re on good or bad form. They’re always singing and it’s a real driver for me and I’m sure a lot of the other lads.”
BECOMING A LEADER
“Of course it’s a young squad so we need people to step up. Being a defender, naturally from the back you want to lead and you have the opportunity to help the players in front of you. And off the pitch as well, trying to get a good chemistry between the team and I think we’ve built good relationships throughout the team. So I’m really happy here and I think a lot of the other lads are too - I’m just enjoying my football.”
SCORING GOALS
“Getting my first goal for the club was a good feeling and I think now I’ve got a couple, I’m getting a feel for it and a taste of it. That’s something I’ve wanted to add to my game this season. Being strong at the back is of course my first target but if I can add a few goals… especially at the Stadium of Light, that was a great feeling and it’s something I want to do again in the future.”
ONTO HULL
“It was a really tough game only a few weeks ago so they’re fresh in our minds. We brought a big away following so to score late in the game, it was a really good day. So it’s going to be a tough game but hopefully with the home advantage we can get all three points again.”
