'Refuelling A Fire'

Can you remember the last time you attended a Sunderland game and actually enjoyed yourself? I mean really enjoyed yourself? Winning. Playing well. Being pleased with what you saw and happily analyzing it all at full time. I can remember the last time; it was on Saturday at Eppleton CW. 

Sunderland's U23 side entertained Arsenal at Eppleton in a PL2 fixture, one that was played in cracking spring sunshine; ideal conditions for football. It's patently obvious to any football scholar that Arsenal possess some extremely talented young players. They move the ball excellently, every one of them comfortable in possession and there was an evident range of passing on show too. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Marcus McGuane and Josh Da Silva all caught the eye. But Sunderland have some good young prospects at their disposal too, let's not forget that. Stryjek, Love and Gooch played well; Brady and Beadling were excellent at the back as the home side triumphed 2-1. I enjoyed watching the game, thoroughly enjoyed it in fact. Arsenal were technically superior to Sunderland across the park, but grit, work-rate and attitude were the foundations for the home side's victory. Arsenal's familiar identity of silky passing and tika-taka approach was on show here, and it was very effective. But as the second half wore on and Sunderland weathered the storm a little, the away side became frustrated, wasteful and even petulant. The game was level at 1-1 until the 88th minute, Lee Molyneux's run and calm finish securing the game for the Black Cats.

Saturday was the first time in a long, long time that I've came away from a Sunderland game happy. Not feeling cheated, short-changed, angry, frustrated or plain sick. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than seeing eleven footballers pull on that red and white shirt and give their all for our club. What rankles with me is that we've seen precious little of it at first team level this season. We've lurched from one week to the next with no end in sight to the misery we continue to see. We all know where we are heading and I needn't spell that out for much longer. Wins for Hull and Swansea at the weekend have sealed our fate without Sunderland kicking a ball. Our destiny has been realized long before now. At least now I know I can take heart from what I saw at Eppleton. Eleven guys who were straining every sinew to win a game of football for our club. The one silver lining from the huge grey cloud that has descended on Wearside is that when we do call on some of these lads in The Championship next season, we'll not feel short changed, cheated or angry. What they lack in ability, they'll more than make up for in energy, work rate and enthusiasm. We'll be getting behind them, because they'll be giving everything they've got for SAFC, which is more than can be said of some of our senior players this season, right?