6 months on from the demoralising defeat to Southend, the team is hardly recognisable from that day. Not only in personnel but in every other way imaginable. Back then the club was drifting downwards, despite Quinn taking over, we couldn’t buy a win and we were stuck with a bunch of players who’d given up the previous year. Roy Keane was just an ex footballer who most of us didn’t really like. Now he’s Sunderlands man and he’s turned around that team and its great credit to him and the players that today we moved into the play-off places and gave Southend a hammering.
Known for his team changes, Keane made only one today, Miller coming back in for the rested Yorke. Slow starts seem a thing of the past these days and straight away we were into our stride and within minutes into the lead. Edwards was fed down the right by John. He cut inside, picked his moment for the cross and Connolly tapped in for the opener. This move would be a theme throughout the game, with Edwards being a constant threat. The second may have come sooner than it did with John hitting the post from a nice build-up. The second did arrive when a through ball from Connolly found Hysen who took the last defender on and beat the keeper with aplomb.
The first 20 minutes was the best I had seen Sunderland play for quite some time, maybe years. We were passing the ball around with pace, the 2 wide men causing problems and the front two held the ball up well and had good movement. After the second Southend tightened up a little and the game settled down a bit. Whenever Southend did attack it was quickly brought to a halt with the excellent defence, spearheaded by Nosworthy and Evans. Nosworthy goes from strength to strength each game and has made that position his own now. One of the better strikers in the league in Freddie Eastwood didn’t have a look in today.
John could have had another goal himself when a goal a header was tipped just over but he was a constant threat up front and it was easily his best game in a red and white shirt
Second half and it seemed inevitable that there’d be more goals. Straight away Edwards was down the right again putting several good crosses in that just failed to find the man. We had another good penalty shout turned down and Whitehead struck the post from a free-kick that was given seconds later.
Southends resistance relented eventually and after Whitehead again hit the post, Stern John scored from the rebound for his first goal then a minute later a cross from Miller found John unmarked at the back post and he fired in to make it 4.
It was exhilerating stuff and after weeks of fairly attritional football it all fit together this afternoon. True, Southend are bottom of the league but they’re in good form of late and beat Birmingham not long ago.
So the easier run of games are over and now come the big 3. Win all 3 and there’s no stopping us. Stay unbeaten and it’ll be a great return. Beat any of them and you make up good ground on them. Keane has got a good side assembled now, how good they are will be proved in the next fortnight.
Man of the match – Carlos Edwards
Report by marcopaul