Give me a break here! As a young man, growing up in the dark days in the depths of non-top flight football, I have picked my favourite five players as I’m too young to have remembered the joys of Kevin Phillips and Darren Bent’s goal scoring prowess. Recent history has not been kind to the majority of Sunderland players, with a lot of them being associated with the darkest period of the club’s history. However, there have of course been some shining lights, and a few cult heroes who have endeared themselves to Sunderland fans. Here are my personal favourites from our lengthy period in League One.
CHRIS MAGUIRE
Nicknamed ‘The King’ by many fans, the Scottish forward could always be relied upon to produce a moment of magic in our time of need. Recently released, it was probably time for Maguire to move on as he is now 32 years old. On his day, he was able to dictate a game with his silky touch and excellent vision, and definitely showed glimpses of Premier League ability, if only he could find some consistency. His goal against Portsmouth in the play-off semi-final led to one of the most ecstatic crowd celebrations in recent memory. In a similar vein, the context of his last-second screamer against Crewe solidifies himself as one of our top players during our spell in League One. In a game where the team was disappointing as a whole, two moments of unbelievable quality from Jones and Maguire made the day a lot more memorable for the right reasons.
AIDEN McGEADY
Under Jack Ross, the Irishman was instrumental in dragging the lads into the play-offs despite some wretched form towards the end of the season. In the Checkatrade Trophy final, Aiden provided us with pure joy, firstly with a great free kick to put us ahead before an equaliser in the dying seconds of extra time. Inexplicably isolated by Phil Parkinson, McGeady is undoubtedly one of the best players in League One, even at 35 years old. When the winger was reintroduced by Lee Johnson, the creativity of the squad was instantly improved, forming an unstoppable partnership with Wyke which led to the big man bagging 25 league goals last season. It’s pretty clear to me that if McGeady does not stay for another year, there’s a huge void of creativity which Johnson needs to fill in order to compete once more.
JOSH MAJA
Maja’s Sunderland success was short but very sweet, with the unproven youngster striking 14 times in just 24 matches. Despite his inexperience, Maja showed clinical finishing and an understanding of the game that was wise beyond his years. The Nigerian poacher’s value to the team was clearly irreplaceable, with Sunderland drastically declining after that infamous January transfer debacle. It’s bitter-sweet to see Maja progressing in the Premier League. Of course it’s great to see a product of the academy thriving and making his name known, but it raises the hypothetical question of what could have been. If the owners at the time had just dealt with the contract situation better, it’s highly likely that we would be in the Championship right now with an extremely valuable asset playing up front.
JON McLAUGHLIN
Like Maja, I don’t think we fully appreciated McLaughlin until the Scottish keeper went to Rangers, leaving a gaping hole in goal that we haven’t yet fully replaced. Lee Burge made it into the League One Team of the Season, but he doesn’t have the cool, calming influence that McLaughlin had. It baffles me how McLaughlin never played more than one season in the Championship, because he has all the hallmarks of a top quality goalkeeper. Now at Rangers, ‘Big Jon’ is acting as a backup to Allan McGregor, but has still won the hearts of Gers’ fans with consistent clean sheets.
DION SANDERSON
The only loan signing in this list, the Wolves defender struggled to break into our first team initially. Due to Parkinson leaving, followed by a major injury crisis, Sanderson finally found a place at centre half and quickly cemented his spot as a regular starter. Pairing next to Luke O’Nien, he even made an attack minded midfielder look like a more than capable centre back! Due to his availability this summer, and his outstanding performances on Wearside, the youngster has attracted Championship interest from a number of clubs such as Sheffield United and Birmingham City. Wolves are willing to listen to offers of around £2 million, so it’s a no brainer that we should throw our hat in the ring.
