
How bet365 Stadium is evolving as Stoke City announce more upgrades
Stoke City left the Victoria Ground in summer 1997 and have since competed in three divisions at their new stadium. Stoke City have now spent […]
Stoke City left the Victoria Ground in summer 1997 and have since competed in three divisions at their new stadium. Stoke City have now spent […]
Bill Asprey, a hard-nosed defender who once played behind Sir Stanley Matthews at Stoke City, later returned to the club for a challenging stint as […]
When Kevin Phillips joined Sunderland from Watford in 1997 for just £325,000, few could have predicted the impact he would make. What started as a modest signing quickly turned into one of the greatest bargains in the club’s history. A natural goal scorer with an unshakable focus, Phillips not only fired the Black Cats back into the Premier League but stunned the football world by scoring 30 top-flight goals in the 1999/2000 season. That incredible haul earned him both the Premier League Golden Boot and the European Golden Shoe—making him the first and only Englishman to claim the latter. Though the wider footballing world may have overlooked his achievement, Sunderland fans still speak his name with reverence. Phillips didn’t just play for the club—he became a legend.
Ross Stewart’s long-awaited return to the pitch was meant to mark a turning point. Instead, it coincided with a crushing blow for Southampton, as their relegation to the Championship was confirmed following a 3-1 defeat to Tottenham. For Stewart, who joined the club in a £10 million move from Sunderland while still recovering from injury, the moment was especially bittersweet. His time at St Mary’s has been riddled with setbacks, with just 10 appearances to his name.
After the match, manager Ivan Juric praised the unwavering support of the fans, calling their loyalty “incredible” despite the club’s downfall. “This is great English football culture,” he said. “We must now face the mistakes of the past few years and build something better—because these fans deserve it.”
### **Aiden McGeady Remembers His Magical Wembley Moment**
Aiden McGeady is widely regarded as a modern Sunderland legend, his five-year stint leaving a lasting imprint on the club’s history. Among his most unforgettable performances was the 2018/19 EFL Trophy Final against Portsmouth, where he delivered two stunning goals—an early free-kick masterpiece and a dramatic 119th-minute equalizer. Yet, despite the heroics, Sunderland fell short in a heartbreaking 5-4 penalty shootout defeat.
Reflecting on that electric afternoon, McGeady recalled the sheer magnitude of the occasion. *“It was probably the atmosphere that made it so special. Eighty thousand fans, split between Sunderland and Portsmouth, for a League One trophy final—it was unbelievable.”*
Though the trophy eluded them, the experience remains etched in his memory. *“When I scored that second goal, we all went mad. For a moment, it felt like destiny. But then reality hit… penalties. And we all thought, ‘We’ve just come back, surely we’ll win this.’”*
The outcome may not have been what Sunderland fans had hoped for, but McGeady’s performance cemented his place in club folklore—a reminder of the passion and heartbreak that comes with chasing glory at Wembley.
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