On this day in 2018, Sunderland were officially relegated to League One after a 2-1 defeat to Burton Albion thanks to a certain Darren Bent.
It's depressing to think about this season, but looking back it was an important time in the club's history. We were heading to the third division for just the second time in our history. It it feels like a lifetime ago now.
The games were running out, and anything less than a point would officially relegate Chris Coleman's side. However, the Lads had just picked up a point at Reading, so there was a sliver of optimism from the Sunderland faithful. That said, Nigel Clough’s Burton Albion were also fighting for their Championship status, so this was a relegation six pointer.
Earlier in the season, boyhood Sunderland fan Nigel had (rather reasonably) said: “I don’t think there’s any particular logic why we should even win a game in this league. Seriously. We’re Burton Albion – 4,800 supporters at today. That’s just the size of the club. We were playing against a team with a stadium that holds 10 times that.”
Sunderland struck first, and Paddy McNair put the Lads in front 11 minutes before the break. Ashley Fletcher drove down the left flank, then squared the ball to McNair who scored from just outside the box. It was a good finish, and as things stood Sunderland were two points away from safety. McNair was arguably the only half-decent player that season, although his impact was severely limited by injuries.
Chris Coleman’s side went into the break 1-0 up, however the job was far from done and a good second half performance was needed. Other than the goal, neither goalkeeper needed to make any big saves. It was a very flat game, and you could tell why both teams were struggling in the league.
The second half began, and Burton had the greater share of possession as they pushed for an equaliser. Lucas Akins’ delivery caught out the Sunderland backline, but the Lads did enough to clear the chance. Jason Steele successfully saved Jacob Davenport’s free kick, however momentum was clearly building for the Brewers.
In the 73rd minute, Burton subbed on former Sunderland striker Darren Bent for Joe Sbarra. The Englishman had controversially departed Wearside for Aston Villa in 2011, with many fans calling him greedy. So, he didn’t exactly receive a standing ovation. He always seemed to score against us...
Jason Steele was able to save Akins’ long range striker, however Darren Bent headed home the rebound in the 86th minute. He then proceeded to cup his right ear as he celebrated. An incredibly predictable goal which pretty much summed up Sunderland's abject season.
John O'Shea then hit the bar, but things went from bad to worse when Liam Boyce scored the winner in the 90th minute. The former Ross County man took off his shirt, and revealed that he was wearing something which very much looked like a sports bra. It somehow added even more to the farce.
But that wasn't the end of it all, because Paddy McNair had a stoppage time equaliser ruled out for handball. Initially the goal stood but when the referee discussed with the linesman (surrounded by Burton players) it was disallowed, and Cattermole was shown a yellow.
The final whistle blew, and Sunderland were relegated to League One for the second time in the club's history. Even if we'd won the game, we would have been relegated at a later date. There was no way that team would have ever strung together a couple of good results to pull us out of the relegation zone. But the fact it was Burton Albion of all teams made it that little bit more painful.
