Black Cats keeper Gordon always confident in his own ability

SUNDERLAND goalkeeper Craig Gordon insists he never doubted himself despite a difficult start to his career in England.

The Scotland international was catapulted into the limelight during the summer when Black Cats boss Roy Keane paid a British record £9 million (€11.9m) to Hearts to bring Gordon south of the border.

However, there were murmurs of unrest as the 25-year-old found the going tough during his early months on Wearside and at one point lost his place to understudy Darren Ward.