Darkness lifts at Stadium of Light

THE victory against Reading brought our first three points since the opening day of the season and things are now looking decidedly rosier in the Stadium of Light garden.

Our next two matches are against Middlesbrough and Blackburn and with the confidence that the Reading result will bring, both look winnable.

Despite a crippling injury list we’ve managed to form a strong makeshift back four. Danny Collins played well at left back, with Paul McShane looking solid in the right full back position. With Carlos Edwards still out, Grant Leadbitter is impressing out of position on the right hand side of midfield, with Ross Wallace proving an able deputy for big-money signing Kieran Richardson on the opposite wing.

The much-maligned Dwight Yorke even had a decent game in the middle, primarily because he spent the game with the ball at his feet instead of having to chase it against the quicker and slicker midfields we’ve faced recently.

After I’ve spent much of the last month criticising Yorkie, it seems he could be a decent member of the squad in games when we have the bulk of possession. While his creaking legs fail him when pace is necessary, his years of guile and experience show when he is given the opportunity with the ball at his feet. Whilst Dickson Etuhu looks like Keano’s preferred enforcer, Dwight might make a capable short-term deputy for the injured Dean Whitehead.

Kenwyne Jones had a home debut full of promise. He showed pace, power and a decent touch (for a big lad) to take the ball round Ivar Ingimarsson for the opening goal. Jones was once described by George Burley as the next Didier Drogba. The Southampton boss knows a thing or two about the promise of youth, so let’s hope our new front man fulfils his. When he was signed for €8 million many thought him to be over-priced, however, leaving the stadium on Saturday most fans were of the opinion we have a bargain.

The other debutant, Danny Higginbotham, a surprise and low-profile acquisition during the transfer window, looked very solid and assured.

There were plenty of positives to take from Saturday’s game; although whether Reading are the powerhouses they appeared to be last term is uncertain. If Saturday’s performance is anything to go by Steve Coppell’s men will struggle to depart the bottom six this season. But from a Sunderland point of view results and performances like this need to be consistently churned out for us to reach the glorious climes of mid-table anonymity that we crave. This game was a good start, but that’s about it. We’ve got four consecutive defeats out of our system, it would be nice to kick on and reverse them with a few more wins.

All in all, the match was a fitting tribute to Ian Porterfield, whose goal in 1973 won us our last major piece of silverware, the FA Cup. Keane has tried to mould the current side around that one, installing pictures of the team around the Stadium of Light tunnel as a source of inspiration. We gave a performance on Saturday that was certainly reminiscent of the spirit of ‘73 and hopefully did Porter proud.

The chanting in his memory midway through the second half warmed the heart and wetted many an eye.

With most of our signings bedding in quickly, it looks like we’ll escape the difficult settling in period that usually comes with large-scale changes to the first team. We have a side kicking and fighting for each other to get the best out of themselves, with a touch of class sprinkled about just to keep it entertaining enough to watch. Roy Keane has moulded a side very much in his image and if they maintain it, this season looks like being the magic carpet ride Niall Quinn forecast a year ago, not the struggle many fans were predicting a fortnight ago.