Following a heart-breaking 5-4 defeat against Coventry City, Sunderland's remaining five fixtures were vital if they held any hope of clinching promotion to the Championship at the first time of asking. First up: Doncaster Rovers at home.
The lads had run out 1-0 winners away to Donny earlier in the season, with Chris Maguire's finish from close range being the difference between the sides back in October. This time the sun was scorching and the Yorkshire side were welcomed to the Stadium Of Light for a 17:15 kick-off on Good Friday.
As was quite common at this time, my pre-match experience was spent working; The Engine Room at The Fire Station was at full capacity for hours in the lead up to kick-off and it's fair to say I didn't get a single moment to think about the game leading up to it! A standard run through the town and onto the Monkwearmouth Bridge followed, as tens of thousands of red and white shirts flocked to the SoL for our penultimate home league fixture.
After an initiative by ALS and The Red & White Army was able to raise £10,000 for a new set of flags and they were waved in harmony as Invaders Must Die blasted through the speakers. George Honeyman led us out that day, as a central defensive partnership of the returning Alim Ozturk and Jimmy Dunne was trialled.
Just seven minutes into the game, Aiden McGeady got the better of Matty Blair on the left-hand side before delivering a perfectly weighted left-footed cross into the box. Charlie Wyke backed away from goal and his marker Andy Butler to nod it into the path of the oncoming Lewis Morgan; the Celtic loanee sprang forward, unmarked, before pounding the ball goalward as it soared into the back of the net. After the defensive calamity only six days previous, the first goal was vital for Jack Ross' men.
It wasn't long before Morgan was at it again, this time crossing the ball into the box before being headed away by Blair and then then helped clear by Herbie Kane. As the ball slowly trickled out of the box and away from goal, Luke O'Nien shocked the 34,287 in attendance with an ambitious effort. About thirty yards from goal, the right-back let fly with the outside of his boot. As the entire stadium held its breath, the ball flew just yards over the bar.
In the thirty second minute we struck again when Charlie Wyke netted his fourth and final strike of the season, how times have changed.
Lewis Morgan was busy once more as, following a tackle on George Honeyman, the Scotsman took the ball in his stride and darted down the left-hand side. With Wyke in the centre and the goal to aim for, our number seventeen struck it goalward as he entered the box, hitting the outside of the post after Marosi was well-beaten. After some more notable chances, McGeady cut in from the left and threaded the ball into the path of Wyke in the box. Some careful footwork from the ex-Hartlepool man created a yard of space inside the box before a side-footed effort on his left was palmed away by Marosi.
After the referee blew the full-time whistle, an optimistic roar bellowed around the SoL, complimented by a rendition of 'Baby Give It Up' through the speakers. Whilst some Sunderland fans took to sing 'Sunderland's going up', others opted for 'Charlie, Charlie Wyke' in replacement of the chorus.
With Peterborough to travel to on the Monday, Portsmouth to welcome the following Saturday, Fleetwood to visit the Tuesday after that and a trip to Southend United on the final day, our roadmap back to the second tier looked set. But after throwing away a lead in the final moments at London Road, failing to beat Portsmouth and handing the Cod Army three points, we had to settle for the play-offs. It's safe to say we all know how that ended...
As we find ourselves two years on, we're still here. We've got six remaining fixtures, don't mess it up this time lads...
