Overall Position: 5th (wtf?!)
Played: 3
Won: 1
Drawn: 2
Lost: 0
Points: 5
Trai Hume Specials: 1
Last time I was writing these monthly reviews it was a painful experience. It was two seasons ago, the one with Michael Beale, turgid football and lots of writing “despite the efforts of Jack Clarke, Sunderland couldn’t capitalise” in a variety of different ways.
Fast forward 18 months and look at us now… at the close of September we were sitting fifth in the Premier League table having enjoyed an unbeaten month against strong opposition, all of whom are competing in Europe this season.
August had ended with a rousing home victory against struggling Brentford so we went into the first fixture of the month away at Crystal Palace with confidence. Saying that, there was reason for trepidation, given the Eagles; 17 game unbeaten run.
Regis le Bris pulled off a great away performance though, frustrating our opponents and thanking rookie goalkeeper Robin Roefs for a wonderful performance with several outstanding saves including a point blank stop off the shoulder to deny Jean Phillipe Mateta. The Black Cats had overcome the Eagles… or something. It was a draw anyway.
Next up, the visit of Aston Villa and a game that at the start of the season appeared to be our first “big test”. Indeed, having finished in the top six and qualified for the Champions League, such an assertion made sense, but Villa had actually started the season terribly with zero wins and it gave Sunderland a chance to get more points on the board.
Unfortunately, Reinildo, a man who sounds like he’s from PES before they got the licence to use real names, had other ideas. In a move reminiscent of David Beckham lashing out at Diego Simeone, Reinildo emulated the incident that featured his former Atletico boss by… well, lashing out, this time at Matty Cash. There was little contact but the petulant intent was there and he was off.
Far from the game being a Cashless society, the Villa left back had a big hand in the game’s next milestone as he hit a rasping drive from the edge of the box which swerved past Roefs and into the net. Roefs had been in such good form, including in this very game, that it would be harsh to attribute too much blame to him but he certainly would expect to do better, won’t want to see it back etc and other such cliches.
As the game drew to a close, the team showed great spirit and togetherness after playing all but half an hour with 10 men, and grabbed a late equaliser through that-man-again Wilson Isidor as he finished off a deft defence-splitting header from Granit Xhaka. Cue carnage. Sunderland held out for the draw in what many agreed was their best performance of the season thus far.
Onto yet another “big test” and another European outfit in the form of Nottingham Forest. Adding them to the list, alongside Villa, of previously strong sides on a terrible run, Forest had won a grand total of zero games from the first four under new manager Ange “Big Ange” Postecoglou.
What followed was an almost carbon-copy performance of the Palace game but with an added goal this time. Roefs again in inspired form, the defence resolute, and another midfield masterclass from birthday-boy Xhaka all contributed to a first away win thanks to a goal from ‘Prince of Paraguay’ Omar Alderete.
There was a whiff of controversy about the free kick that led to the goal with Forest’s Nicolas Dominguez adjudged to have thrown himself to the floor when clashing with Trai Hume. Turns out it was one of the few occasions where Trai hadn’t clattered his opponent and the replays confirmed the referee’s instincts had been correct.
Looking ahead to October, the tests certainly ramp up, but ending the month in fifth position and with 11 points is impressive stuff. Indeed, no side has ever been relegated from the Premier League after earning 11 points from their first 6 games. Sunderland had continued their dream start and put themselves in a great position to stay in the Premier League.
