ALS: SAFC Fanzine

02/09/2024

TOP OF THE LEAGUE!

Sunderland head into the international break top of the league, having only conceded one goal all season. Now seems like the best time to take a breath after the all-action start to our season and look back at how we got here.

A lot of the praise has to go to Regis Le Bris, who is clearly a manager who knows how to get the best out of this young squad and has a set blueprint of how he likes his teams to play football. The high pressing has been a joy to watch and given how much our supporters love to see a big tackle, it’s the perfect fit. We don’t have as much of the ball but that’s really not a bad thing. It’s not possession for possession's sake, we’re driving the ball forward with purpose and speed whenever possible.

Chris Rigg is really thriving in the middle, rather than being used as a winger like last season. His close control, range of passing and the fact he sprints around the pitch for 90 minutes means his skillset is much better suited to playing centrally. He looks like he has been playing the game for 10 years and I fully expect him to play for England in the future.

Of course, Jack Clarke’s departure so late in the window was a worrying sign and I was concerned that we wouldn’t be able to buy a replacement in time. However, the hierarchy have put their faith in Romaine Mundle and he’s paid them back so far, with two goals in two games. Mundle has looked good, and is more unpredictable than Clarke (arguably with an even higher ceiling), but is far from the finished product at this stage in his career. It’s a weird world we live in where everything is so last-minute - you can play with your star winger for the first handful of games whilst fully expecting him to leave, which also runs the risk of injury. If Clarke had gotten injured in those early games, we wouldn’t have been able to sell him and that has all sorts of knock-on effects within the club and the market. That being said, Regis Le Bris doesn’t even have an assistant manager/coach yet such is the last-minute nature of Sunderland AFC…

Squad depth was an issue going into deadline day, fans rightly pointed out that only one or two injuries to the first team could really reduce our starting XI’s quality. However, Chris Mepham has bolstered the defence and the midfield is looking very strong. With Jobe signing a new deal in the summer, Rigg being a revelation, Salis Abdul Samed having Ligue 1 and Champions League experience, and Alan Browne looking absolutely class, where does Dan Neil fit in? I was sceptical about Pierre Ekwah’s exit because he’s brilliant on the ball and has massive potential. I thought he could be a different option off the bench but in fairness the club managed to bring the midfielder in for cheap, develop him and sell him on for a big profit with a replacement already lined up. Isn’t that the model in its essence? If we’re going to criticise the model when it fails, it’s only right to give praise.

Defensively, are we preparing for a time where Luke O’Nien eventually drops to the bench? It feels harsh to say, but Dan Ballard signed a new deal in the summer and Chris Mepham won’t have come here to sit on the bench, because he’ll have had better offers from other clubs. With Timothee Pembele out on loan this leaves Trai Hume as our only right back option - I wonder if Le Bris is considering using Luke as a utility man who can fill in whenever Hume is unavailable. We saw against Preston in the cup that playing with centre halves as full backs doesn’t work - when you try to play out from the back it just isn’t as fluid. Just look at Hume’s and Dennis Cirkin’s impact higher up the pitch. However, when you go somewhere like Millwall away, O’Nien could tuck in to form a bit of a back three and give us some more physical protection. Admittedly I would prefer to have seen a natural right back come in during the window, ideally one who can play both sides because Dennis Cirkin’s injury record suggests we won’t be able to rely on him every single game.

Even on the wing, Wilson Isidor and Ian Poveda both came off the bench at Pompey and both look like they could have something good to offer. Isidor in particular seems desperate to succeed here, although it still remains unclear whether the club see him more as a striker or winger.

Anyway, the first phase of fixtures have been and gone, and we’re top of the league. That’s all that matters. It’s weird to feel so positive about Sunderland but after last season, let’s just make the most of it and let ourselves get excited!

02/09/2024

NEXT UP…

A Love Supreme online store. Your one stop shop for away coaches, t-shirts and other Sunderland related merchandise. 01915654422 - [email protected]

02/09/2024

OTD: MICK BUCKLEY DEBUT
On this day in 1978, Mick Buckley made his first appearance for Sunderland in a win at Roker Park.

Buckley was at Everton before Sunderland, making his debut as an 18-year-old and would go on to win the European Youth Tournament with England in 1971/72. He’d actually rejected advances from Manchesters United and City as a schoolboy, to play for Everton.

The Salford-born midfielder became well-known for his tenacity and ability to win the ball back, and was a crucial player at Everton under manager (and former Sunderland player) Billy Bingham. He was in the Everton team that relegated Sunderland at Goodison Park in 1977.

Mick was a £60,000 signing by Sunderland in August ‘78, making his debut in a 3-1 win over Preston in September. It was a resounding win at Roker Park, with Mick Docherty, Wayne Entwistle and Roy Greenwood all scoring for the Lads. Steve Doyle lined up for PNE, a player who would go on to play 100 games for Sunderland later in his career.

Buckley was a promotion winner in 1979/80 with the Lads, and two years later his timely winning goal against Man City on the final day of the season ensured our Division One survival. He was a ‘slick ball-playing midfielder with a waspish tackle’, and after leaving Sunderland in 1983 remained fairly local with spells at Hartlepool, Carlisle and finally Middlesbrough.

But after retirement, Mick fell on harder times and struggled with alcoholism. He lost his job, home and marriage before the Everton Former Players Foundation dug him out of his hole: “That day turned my life round. I was sitting in a pub in Manchester on my own – when you’re an alcoholic you don’t want any company – and my old team-mates Gary Jones and Terry Darracott walked in. They sat down and they said: ‘We know all about you Mike. We’ve come to help you.’

“My first reaction was: ‘What do you mean? I’m fine. I’m great. No problems at all. Just having a drink.’ But they persisted. ‘Mike. You’re not fooling us. We know you’re drinking and you’ve left home. We’ve been to the bed and breakfast and they’ve told us where to find you. Everyone knows, Mike. We’ve come to help you.’ Then I broke down. You get very emotional when you’re in that kind of condition, not for yourself but because of all the people you’ve let down. I don’t know why I started drinking. I used to enjoy a pint, like most people, but my son ended up on drugs when he was just 18. And when you finish playing football, it’s a big step. There’s a big hole in your life to be filled."

Mick sadly passed away three weeks before his 60th birthday in 2013, after fighting a long illness.

02/09/2024

HUME HAPPY AFTER POMPEY

Trai Hume has spoken about how the players are enjoying working under Regis Le Bris, and revealed that Luke O'Nien apologised in the dressing room for scoring a late own goal in our 3-1 win at the weekend.

L09 APOLOGY
"I think you could see the disappointment in Luke's face when he headed it in. He apologised to the dressing room after but that wasn't necessary, we won the game and the three points is what matters."

FRONT FOOT
"We're enjoying our football. We're on the front foot and being aggressive, trying to win games. It's nice to start well but we know that it's a long season and it's about staying consistent in our performances."

GAME BY GAME
"We want to try and go for promotion but we're just trying to focus on keeping it from game to game and that's what the manager keeps telling us. It's always 'next game, next game' - not looking too far ahead. We want to keep improving because we still think there's parts of the games where we could play better. We can keep improving. It's an ideal start, obviously, but we want to stay consistent."

GAME PLAN
"We want to try and press teams whenever we can but if they break through that we're dropping into our shape and staying solid. We want to play on the front foot but that's not always going to work, the teams we play are good and there are going to be times where they play through that. As a team it's then about dropping in and defending your goal. I think that's something we've done really well in the first four games but it's about doing that consistently. I think you have to credit the midfield and attacking players as well, they're doing a lot of work in front of the ball and that's helping us out at the back."

02/09/2024

SIGNED ON THIS DAY: VICTOR ANICHEBE

Tweet something like: On this day in 2016, Sunderland signed free agent Victor Anichebe as David Moyes made an attempt to bolster our attacking ranks.

Anichebe was only at the club for one season, the 2016-17 campaign which saw our relegation to the Championship, and he only featured a handful of times, scoring three goals including an important strike away to AFC Bournemouth.

A big and imposing striker, his time in football generally was hindered by injury, which very much replicated his time at SAFC. His hold-up man role was successfully executed under Moyes at Everton before he moved to West Brom in 2013, spending three years in the Midlands.

His goal scoring form on Wearside was short lived, after his winner on the south coast, he netted a brace against Hull at home which secured his nomination for that month's PFA Fans Player of the Month, but these would be the only three times he notched for the Lads in what was a pretty disappointing season.

After leaving Sunderland, he joined Chinese side Beijing Enterprise but wouldn't play again after his spell in the far east. Over the course of his career, he was capped eleven times by his country of birth, Nigeria, although he moved to England when he was just one year old with his family.

02/09/2024

OTD: SAFC 5-0 SOUTHAMPTON

On this day in 2023, Sunderland smashed Southampton 5-0 at home thanks to Clarke, Ekwah (x2), Dack and Rigg. Here's Sobs' report from that great day...

Wow. Like the Mini Metro which knocked me off my bike, I didn't see that coming. The Lads - those who remained after yesterday's transfer nonsense - hosted the Saints at the SoL and thoroughly dismantled them. We allowed them possession where it didn't matter and defended like demons when it did. A brace of belters from Ekwah followed Clarke's headed opener, and we added others from Dack and Rigg after the break to round off a great dinnertime of fun in the sun.

Friday was the day that our last three Wembley scorers left, and Stewart's move went right to the wire with rumours that he'd failed his medical surfacing - but hey, why let the truth get in the way of a story? His departure had become virtually inevitable and, all things considered, probably wasn't a bad deal.

I was most disappointed about Gooch, and not just for sentimental reasons as the Lad could fill a variety of roles on the pitch and wasn't after more money. Neither do I understand Embo's loan, especially after Mowbray's comments, but professional football is often beyond the understanding of ordinary folks like the fans. On the positive side, nothing came Pritch's way, so he remains a Lad for the foreseeable future.

Arrivals seem to be largely to baffle poor folks like me who have to try and type Auochiche (who just looks like Jack Clarke with a perm) and Nazariy Rusyn on a hopefully regular basis. A second (third?) forward is young Burstow from Chelsea, where we've benefited from the Blues' propensity for buying young Brits to top up their quota of locals, then loaning them out. Anyway, I'm told our business came to eleven in and ten out so tarra to those departing and alreet marra to those arriving.

Patterson
Hume O'Nien (c) Ballard Cirkin
Neil Ekwah
Ba Bellingham Clarke
Dack
..and a bench of Bishuuurrrp, Huggins, Taylor, Hemir, Seelt, Triantis, Pritchard, Bennette, and Rigg.

Naturally, the latest Spice Boys were paraded before the kickoff, minus the Ukrainian, and took their obligatory selfies to tremendous applause, which would have boosted them no end. Quite what they made of Wise Men Say is something else.

We kicked off towards the Roker, repelled a Saints corner on our left and broke for Ekwah to carry it down the left before switching it to Hume, whose curling cross went behind the defence for Clarke to head home. After a minute! Six minutes after that we got it to Ekwah from the right, and from a central position twenty yards out, he drilled it low inside the keeper's left-hand post. Wowzers, as they say. We won the ball back from the restart, and an identical cross from Hume needed their keeper to be in his toes to collect with Clarke lurking again.

On twelve, Ba was away down the right and cut in to curl a left-footer just over the far angle. Close, very close, but then came the visitors' bit of dominance which we allowed them - chiefly in their half and without committing Lads to get caught upfield. Good tactics, boss.

Patto made a comfy save from a free, then the ref booked O9 for not getting away from a free - which would have been impossible in the half second he had to do so. Just to add insult to injury, he booked Ba for a dive in the box but didn't repeat the punishment when their player did the same on halfway. Dack's free kick brought a fine save from the keeper going low to his left, and they cleared the resultant corner.

When Ekwah found himself on the end of a good move as the half drew to a close, he twisted to fire another into the same spot as we were singing "you're not fit to referee". Marvelous. In the two added minutes, Hume celebrated a cracking tackle O9 style.

We were well worth the lead, but still couldn't dispel the memories of Burnley a year ago, although all we had to do was stick to Mowbray's plan.

No changes for us, while they brought on Che Adams and an ex-mag to add beef and pace to their attack. Barely two minutes in a lovely reverse pass from Clarke out to Cirkin from the corner of the box allowed young Dennis to sling a cross into the box for Dack to meet with his head and bring a terrific save from the keeper, but when Ba whacked it back in he was still there to knock it home. 4-0, and the cries of "we want eight" went up.

Ballard and Luke bust a gut to clear a dangerous cross, with the former needed treatment after his marra whacked home as well as the ball, but was back on fairly sharpish. We won a corner which was cleared from a crowded box, and O9's hoof from 35 yards landed just behind the crossbar. Four up, anything is worth a try!

Another thunderous tackle by Hume brought another roar of of approval, then we brought on Hemir and Pritch for Jobe and Dack just after the hour. Our big Brazilian showed great tappy-lappy control in the box almost immediately but fired just wide. When there was no yellow for their man booting the ball fifty yards after we win a free, Luke gained revenge by hitting it straight into Adams. Yellow!

Patto was deceived by a low shot, but it went for a corner as he at least got in the way of it.

Another Hemir shot won us a corner, then on came Rigg and Bennette for Ba, who'd run himself into the ground, and Clarke. With three to go we set Hemir galloping through the middle but the keeper did well to block the shot. In the five added minutes, a quadruple twazzle by Jewi on the left allowed him to swing in a cross that was inches too high for Hemir, but Rigg was at the back post to head back across and in.

5-0. Gerrinn!

The Saints put in some good crosses, but really needed a big centre forward to get on the end of them, while we were superb all over the place.

Man of the Match? Great stuff defensively by Luke and Ballard, but it had to be Ekwah. Two goals from deep midfield and never running out of energy. Great stuff, big Pierre - you get my nod this week.

01/09/2024

The Red & White Army, yesterday… ❤️

01/09/2024

CHRIS MEPHAM: WHO ARE YOU?

We spoke to Bournemouth based journalist Jack Tanner to discuss how Sunderland's newest recruit, Chris Mepham, will do during his loan spell on Wearside...

First things first - are you sad to see him leave?
On the contrary! I'm quite delighted for him. Meps has been a loyal servant for Cherries for over five years, but he is clearly at an age where he needs to be playing far more football than he currently is. By all accounts he is well-liked and well-respected in the changing room, so he will be missed, but this is a move that makes sense for both parties.

Why are you guys letting him go out on loan, with a year left on his contract?
Although always polite about it, Meps has previously stated that he needs more first-team football if he is to reach his ambition of 100 caps for Wales. For the national side, centre-back is clearly the position with the most depth and competition, so sitting in the stands for Cherries just doesn’t make sense for him. After Lloyd Kelly left in the summer he might have expected to be higher up the pecking order, but already teenager Dean Huijsen appears to be ahead of him. For Cherries, they understand that the market doesn’t really allow them to demand a fee, so recouping anything they can get is the best possible outcome.

What are his strengths and weaknesses?
He’s a good all-rounder, I would say. He definitely has the physical tools needed to compete with Championship forwards, even if he is a bit lacking in the pace department. Sometimes he can be targeted and isolated with long balls over the top, but only when his full-back has left him exposed.

With the likes of Aji Alese, Luke O'Nien and Dan Ballard Sunderland try to play out from the back with their centre halves. Will Mepham be able to do this?
Absolutely. He may not have the long passing range Andoni Iraola requires from his centre-backs, but in terms of being comfortable with the ball at feet and under pressure, Meps is more than capable.

When everyone is fit, there is some good competition at centre back. Will Mepham be happy with a squad role or will he be demanding to play every week at this level?
You’d imagine that he is leaving with a view to securing first-team football. If that wasn’t the case, he would probably still be at Cherries, it looks far better to be a squad player in a Premier League squad than for a Championship side.

What's his injury history like? And how about his attitude?
In terms of attitude, Meps will never be a problem. As mentioned above, he has dealt with the past few years as a back-up option impeccably, voicing his frustrations about lack of game-time politely to the press without threatening to leave. The fact that after a year as bit-part player during promotion from the Championship he was able to step into Gary O’Neil’s side in the Premier League and play to a high standard shows he is not the type to down tools. Injury wise, his lack of general gametime makes it difficult to properly comment – he hasn’t played enough to pick up major injuries.

Trai Hume is our only fit right back, would Mepham be able to fill in at fullback if necessary?
He’s played there before, but only really out of desperation. He is a far more natural fit in the heart of defence, but he certainly will give his all even if asked to play out of position.

Regis Le Bris clearly works on set pieces on the training pitch. At 6ft 4, surely he'll help us when attacking corners and free kicks?
He’s never been a consistent threat at set-pieces, but he will certainly be a handful in both boxes!

01/09/2024

ON THIS DAY: WYKE DEBUT AND GOAL

On this day in 2018, Charlie Wyke came off the bench and scored a debut goal against Oxford in a 1-1 draw. It wasn't the prettiest of goals, just the slightest nick off Lynden Gooch's shot, but it was a start.

The burly striker joined the lads from Bradford City. Wyke was one of our most expensive signings in our first transfer window in League One, meaning he arrived with a lot of hope and expectation. However, he was signed with an injury which he was unable to shake off for a long time.

Making his debut against the U's, Wyke scored the equaliser - although he didn't exactly know too much about it. Gooch's low shot just deflected off his foot and into the net, but people say that for your first goal at any club it doesn't matter how you score it. However, this wasn’t exactly a sign of things to come in his first season. He suffered a major injury in a 2-1 away loss to Burton Albion, where the opposition goalkeeper put Wyke out of action for another 13 matches. The Middlesbrough-born forward never looked fit after returning from injury, and went on to score just three more goals in his debut season at Sunderland.

The second season was not much better for Wyke, who flattered to deceive yet again. Suffering with another ankle injury during pre-season, the target man was left out of the squad for the first two matches of the campaign. In his first start of the season though, he did manage to grab a goal. This was in a 2-1 win against Rochdale where he scored the winner. Only scoring once in the 2019/20 season before Jack Ross was sacked, the owners decided to bring in a manager who knew how to get the best out of a target man such as Wyke. Phil Parkinson arrived, but Wyke’s output didn’t improve as much as people were hoping. Although the season was ended early, he would still be disappointed with just four league goals under Parkinson, taking his total up to five for the season.

However, our third season in League One is where Wyke began to really shine. He was in formidable form throughout the campaign, having finally had a full pre-season to work on his fitness. With almost no real competition from either Danny Graham or Will Grigg, Wyke was given the freedom to play up front and make his mark as Sunderland’s main striker. He scored his first hat trick for the club in a 3-0 win against Wimbledon, including a smart d**k over the onrushing keeper! He went on to improve on his hat trick just a few weeks later, by scoring four goals in one match. Yes, McGeady put them all on a plate for him and the defenders gave him a free header every time, but four goals in one game is still a great feat for any player.

Overall, Wyke scored 30 goals in all competitions and won the attention of suitors across the Championship as well as North of the border. Celtic were the runaway favourites to sign him, followed by his boyhood club Middlesbrough. However, rumours suggested that Wyke wanted a lucrative four-year contract which seemingly put Celtic off the deal. Sunderland were resigned to letting Wyke go, unable or unwilling to meet his extreme demands. Wigan Athletic eventually snapped up the striker, reuniting him with his best mate Max Power. The rumoured wage was £10,000 per week! Ultimately we replaced him with Ross Stewart and never looked back - and on the opening day of the 2021/22 season, Callum Doyle didn't let Wyke have a sniff.

Wyke had a health scare in July 2021, collapsing in training. He has publicly thanked manager Leam Richardson for saving his life after suffering a cardiac arrest. The Latics' club doctor Jonathan Tobin was also involved, who saved Fabrice Muamba back in 2012.

Since the cardiac arrest he has recovered and continued playing for Wigan. He eventually made his return, coming off the bench with 20 minutes left to play against Birmingham. During the game he set up the only goal as Wigan went on to win 1-0. He started for the Latics against us at the SoL and on his return to Wearside like every former SAFC player he got his goal, and to be fair to him it wasn't a bad finish right before half time. Thankfully though we managed to turn it around and win the game.

He's now actually playing in League Two - it was a bit of a hero's return to his former club Carlisle. He plays up front and is their team captain but, despite scoring a handful of pre-season goals, has only managed one league appearance so far due to injury.

31/08/2024

BROWNE POST POMPEY

Alan Browne has given a fair and level-headed assessment of Sunderland's start to the season and gave some insight into the mentality of the dressing room.

COMFORTABLE WIN
“To be fair I thought it was quite comfortable in the end. We limited them to very few opportunities, even the goal is on our behalf really. Other than that I didn’t think they troubled us too much. Up the other end, I thought we were clinical when it mattered. We broke forward really well and as I said, we didn’t have much to defend but anything we did we dealt with it really well.”

FIRST GOAL FOR SAFC
“Brilliant. I wasn’t sure if someone was behind me, or if it was actually going in, so I just made sure! I’m not a little goal hanger who likes to claim those kinds of goals but I definitely got the last touch and it’s great to be off the mark.”

BUILDING BLOCKS IN PLACE
“Of course, and if we had managed to keep a clean sheet as well it would have been brilliant to win four with four clean sheets, but at the end of the day it’s all about winning. If we continue to do that then that’s all that matters. We’ve put ourselves in a really good position going into the break and I think it’s really important not to get carried away with it, and make sure our mindset is on it as soon as we come back.”

MENTALITY
“That’s the most important thing. It’s always about looking to do better and do more. We’re all gutted that we couldn’t keep a clean sheet so it just shows the attitude at the moment in the dressing room. It’s not just all about winning, we want to keep clean sheets as well at the other end. So far so good and hopefully we can continue to drive in the right direction.”

SETTLING IN NICELY
“It’s been pretty easy for me to be fair. I’ve slotted in quite well and the boys are fantastic. They’ve got some really good attitudes and the talent is there for everyone to see. I think it’s just about bringing that talent out as much as we can. People aren’t going to be on it every game but if we have 7,8,9 players consistently performing then we can afford to have one or two off days. But so far everyone’s been really good and I’ve been really impressed. Long may that continue.”

31/08/2024

RLB ON FOURTH WIN

Regis Le Bris has praised his side after their resounding win over Portsmouth, but emphasised the importance of staying grounded as we head into the international break undefeated.

GOOD WIN
"Yes, we are happy. We enjoy it because it is a great moment when we can win, especially away with our fans. It was a tough game because we needed to solve a problem with their direct play mixed with short passes. During the first half it wasn’t so clear, but I think that during half time we solved some of the little details and in the second part of the game it was better. And we had the opportunity to score after a high recovery.”

MIDFIELD DEPTH
“I don’t know if there was a lot of control because the game was open, but I think one of the main points for our season is the way we can play 15, 16, 17, 18 players with the ability to maintain or raise the level because we can’t compete in a league like this with just 11 players. That was the case today. With some of the players, they changed their position on the pitch and they played well, Jobe for example played very well, so I’m happy for that performance.”

MENTALITY
“I think they are becoming better and better, and this is good news. It is not a question of just winning, we want to raise our level and maintain the way we play and improve. The mentality is good at the minute but it is still fragile and we need to know that after four wins it is still possible to lose. We have to keep working, keep the mentality of the team and at the minute it is good. So now, we need to avoid relaxing because that is possible.”

POVEDA AND ISIDOR DEBUTS
“There is a difference between the competition and the training, so I think these first minutes will be important for them to assess the level, to connect with the team, to give them the energy to improve. It is good for them, for sure.”

INTERNATIONAL BREAK
“Some players will be out with their national teams and for the others, this is an opportunity to reconnect with the team because of this transfer window. Some of the players will be available from now and it will be an opportunity to work with them, to put the ideas in place and to understand how we are going to play.”

31/08/2024

SOBS ON POMPEY

The Lads nipped down to the South coast to renew rivalry with Pompey, and ...well, quite simply rubber-stamped the best start to a season by any team anywhere in the country and probably the world. Almost, anyway, as Luke evened up the OGs in added time, but we were three ahead by then. A Pompey OG on the half hour was no more than we deserved, and we added to that with Browne's knock in and Mundle's killer blow before the hour was up.

There was more than a hint of autumn in the air as I headed for the bus - which turned up, meaning no repeat of that part of my disastrous last trip to Fratton. I even managed a seat on the train, spending part of it next to a Sheff Wed fan en route to Millwall. We didn't talk football, but I did fill my cap with Lucozade. Silly boy - it did nowt to aid the recovery of my hair.

The usual singing on the tube across London for some reason included the Djibril Cisse ditty, which baffled me a bit. Mebbe it was the heat, but we had time to Google our latest signings as well as having a laugh with the lad on the train carrying a bouquet "for the bride's mother." Waheyy, we cheered.

After a couple of refreshments, I was into the ground early, quite literally bumping into Embo's kid brother, and marvelling at what a lick of paint and some new kiosks can do. Nice one, Pompey.

Patterson
Hume O'Nien Ballard Cirkin
Browne Rigg
Roberts Jobe Mundle
Mayenda
..and a bench of Moore, Rusyn, Isidor, Hjelde, Poveda, Watson, Tuiterov, Crompton, and Jones. Interesting bench, and unlike last time, it wasn't hossing it down, I hadn't lost my ticket, and my innards were behaving themselves. All good omens.

After meeting up with Rob, Winks, and eventually Kev, we watched our bonny Lads line up in the new away kit and clapped for Sven, Sven, Sven before attacking the far end in front of the fullest I've seen Fratton.

They kicked off, we pressed them in their half and it was only a matter of time before we went ahead. Ballard played as if he'd never been away, Rigg played like he'd been doing it for a decade, Browne was quietly effective, and Mundle was given space to be as mad as he liked. Add that to Mayenda's beef and there was only going to be one winner. It arrived in rather strange circumstances when a cross from our right looked to have gone too far, but for some reason their man knocked it inside his own far post.

Jammy? Yes. Deserved? Absolutely.

With Luke and Big Dan mopping up everything in the middle, there was ample opportunity for Cirkin and Huuuuume to belt forward, and augment those forays with a couple of trademark thunderous challenges. Jobe and Rigg were pulling strings like mad puppeteers, but it was Browne whose simple but effective game allowed them to do so. He picked up what Luke and Big Dan laid in front of him, and picked out the joyous Mundle at every opportunity. There's nowt young Romaine likes more than a fullback to run at, and run at his hapless marker he did, with Mayenda dragging the home defence all awwa the shop.

Quite how we got to half time only one goal to the good was something the home fans were celebrating as we scratched our heads and tried not to get too greedy, but we just couldn't help remembering Summerbee's happy debut all those years ago.

There was a bit of added time, and many happy faces in the sold out away end at the break.

No changes for the second half, and we continued where we'd left off. If Rigg, Browne, and Jobe did their job, there'd be less for Luke and Dan to do, so they continued. We were only five or so in when Mayenda got amongst their central defenders yet again and the ball sat up nicely for Browne to poke home.

Bloody marvellous!

If the home crowd had been a bit down before that, they were positively subterranean after it, and the third was only a matter of time. More patience from Browne, more energy from Rigg, more twazzling by Roberts, more smooth operating from Jobe, and then Luke put in a couple of challenges that would have had Bally applauding. Rigg picked out Mundle, and like a chav with an air rifle, he set his sights and killed the game.

Whoo-hoo, and still over half an hour to go. By this time we were strolling around the middle of the field with Jobe looking like a better version of their young'un and Roberts making his marker(s) look like they'd just started a Sunday morning game. With just under 20 to go, Reg made his first changes, as on came Isidor and Poveda for Mundle and Roberts - job just about done. A couple of corners followed, with Dan the Man creating havoc then Rigg having a shot blocked.

Mayenda then made way for Rusyn as we cleverly used fresh legs to frustrate the home side further, and a Browne free kick gave Cirkin the chance to turn and shoot, but it was closer to me than the goal. Four added minutes were announced, Luke managed to do what no opponent had done by heading past Patto, then the ref put the home fans out of their misery and I sprinted, as only a man of my advanced years can sprint, to Fratton station trying not to laugh.

Top of the league? Why aye. Man of the Match? Again, not a dodgy performance out there, but I'll give it to Rigg just ahead of Jobe and Mundle, spurred on by Browne's simplicity. Happy days.