Black Cats ace Zenden lifts spirits of ill dad
Zenden, 34, scored his first goal of the season at the Reebok Stadium but the Dutchman’s delight at breaking his duck was tempered by his concern for his dad Pierre.
“That goal is for my father, who is ill in hospital, ” said Zenden. “I had time to think about what I was doing and Jussi Jaaskelainen is a very good goalkeeper.
“He stayed in his box and I chose to take it around him on my right side which I do not think he was expecting.
“There were one or two players sliding in so it wasn’t an easy finish. I had to make sure we got the shot inside the near post rather than going across goal.”
Zenden opened the scoring against the run of play in first-half stoppage time when he was set up by Stephane Sessegnon, with Bolton appealing in vain for offside.
The home side eventually drew level with three minutes to go after two substitutes linked up. Rodrigo delivered a superb ball to the back post and Ivan Klasnic headed the ball into the far corner.
Rodrigo almost scored the winner in stoppage time but it was Sunderland who took the points when Sully Muntari’s close-range effort went into the net via Bolton defender Zat Knight.
Manager Steve Bruce lauded veteran Zenden after his inspirational display.
He said: “He is a fantastic wee player. I wish he was 25-26 but he keeps himself in remarkable condition.
“Maybe I have not played him enough but it was great to see him produce a performance like that.”
Sunderland banished the spectre of relegation once and for all with this gutsy victory.
Now Bruce is determined to take the club to a higher level next season as he feels the supporters deserve nothing less.
“To have 4,500 at Bolton is an incredible turn-out given the run we have been on and that’s what makes it such a special club, ” he said. “Our aim is to give them a team they can be proud of. When you see the vast numbers you wonder what you can achieve.
“It is a huge club because of the supporters we have. We have been a yo-yo club but it is important to keep the momentum going and add a few numbers to the squad if we can.”
Bolton manager Owen Coyle was left railing at the way Zenden was allowed to go on and score, claiming there had been an infringement beforehand.
He said: “This league is the best in the world and that’s why we need the best officials. I felt we were let down by the assistant referee.
“We have our own ambitions as we want to finish as high up the league as we can. So we are disappointed not to have won”
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