Be honest: when Tommy Watson wrote his own chapter in Sunderland history by curling the ball deliciously between Michael Cooper’s outstretched glove and the post (‘Bottom bins’, as the Soccer AM generation might’ve said), was your first thought — possibly through a haze of euphoria and tears — “This goal is going to ensure that Didier N’Dong’s status as our record signing is going to be shattered this coming summer”?
Sheffield United v Sunderland - Sky Bet Championship - Play Off - Final - Wembley Stadium Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images
OK, maybe nobody had that flash of inspiration at the time but it’s safe to say that as we continue to strengthen the squad in preparation for our return to the top flight, the fact that N’Dong is dropping down the list of Sunderland’s most expensive signings (or flops, in his case) faster than Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards hurtling down a ski jump is just another thing to celebrate — among many, it has to be said.
Watson, of course, is no longer here, having moved to Brighton earlier in the summer, but make no mistake — and I’ll make no apologies for continuing to bang this drum — his moment of magic at Wembley changed everything for our club, and it opened up the kinds of possibilities that those who persisted through the dog days of League One may never have thought possible.
Without that goal, there’s surely no ambitious capture of Florent Ghisolfi, newly appointed as Sunderland’s director of football.
Without that goal, we certainly aren’t attracting the likes of Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki to Wearside and without that goal, the very core of this team may have been dismantled and its component parts sold off in bulk, leaving us with the prospect of a tackling a brutal-looking 2025/2026 Championship campaign without many of our leading lights.
I don’t mind admitting that whenever I watch it back (I do still allow myself that pleasure every now and then), I’m struck by an irrational fear; fear that he misses the chance, the game goes to extra time and penalties, and we have to deal with the heartbreak of another Wembley loss.
Sheffield United v Sunderland - Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
If that sounds ridiculously dramatic, fair enough, but perhaps it’s a result of my inner doom-monger trying to break free.
After all, the playoff run that culminated in promotion was the kind of thing that simply doesn’t happen to us as Sunderland supporters, but for two magical weeks, everything aligned and the finale under the arch was the kind of thing that’s now part of our club’s fabric, a genuine ‘Where were you?’ moment.
To this day, I can scarcely comprehend the composure that Watson — a very talented player whom I really hope kicks on and begins to make further progress down on the South Coast — demonstrated at that moment in the game.
Kieffer Moore’s heavy touch presented him with the opportunity but Watson had to be sharp enough to read it and despite Patrick Roberts furiously gesturing to his teammate that he should play Dennis Cirkin in, the winger was having none of it and the almost casual nature of the finish belied the magnitude of the goal.
For a player unfairly scapegoated as a Judas-type figure in some quarters and who’d performed erratically during the final games of the regular season, he was well within his rights to milk the moment for all it was worth, but as the summer has unfolded and things have taken shape, perhaps it’s only now that we’re truly starting to see the impact of that goal.
Sheffield United v Sunderland - Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Of course, Sunderland players have scored at crucial times before.
Carlos Edwards’ howitzer against Burnley always springs to mind here, but given the situation, the rewards for success and the subplot of the playoff final being Watson’s final game in Sunderland colours, I don’t think there’s a particularly strong argument against it surpassing them all, and certainly not in the modern era.
As we stand on the verge of a brand new era at the Stadium of Light, there’s a diminutive, nimble winger currently embarking on a new chapter of his career at the Amex Stadium to whom we owe a great deal, and when he does return to the Stadium of Light with his new club, I’m confident the reception he’ll receive will speak for itself.
Eliezer Mayenda drew us level, Moore chalked up the assist, and Watson did the rest.
Cheers, Tommy.