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The former Sunderland and Everton man has opened up on his time at the Stadium of Light and his relationship with supporters
Former Sunderland winger Kevin Kilbane has reflected candidly on his time at the Stadium of Light – admitting that while his spell on Wearside was far from smooth, he looks back on it now with “absolute fondness” and deep appreciation for the club and its supporters.
Kilbane joined Peter Reid’s Sunderland from West Bromwich Albion in December 1999 for £2.5million, making him the third most expensive signing in the club’s history at the time. His debut offered the perfect start – coming off the bench to deliver the cross that led to Kevin Phillips’ winning goal against Southampton. But what followed was a difficult run of results that would soon see frustration mount among sections of the fanbase.
Despite enduring criticism during a challenging period for both player and club, Kilbane insists his overriding memories of Sunderland are positive. “It’s probably been well documented that from a personal point of view, things didn’t go great for me, but I actually don’t think of it like that,” he told club historian Rob Mason in an interview for Sunderland’s matchday programme.
“The team itself had two seventh-place finishes in the Premier League, so I look back at it with absolute fondness. When you reflect on a career, you can look at the lows and try to brush them off. You just had to keep going, and I thoroughly enjoyed working with Peter Reid, Adrian Heath and Bobby Saxton. There were big characters like Kev Phillips, Gav McCann and Niall Quinn, so I had amazing management, staff and teammates around me – I just have total fondness in thinking of my time at the club.”
That team, driven by the strike partnership of Phillips and Quinn, remains one of the most loved in Sunderland’s modern history. Kilbane spoke with admiration about both forwards – and the unique chemistry they shared. “Quinny is one of the best centre-forwards I played with. The combination he had with Kev Phillips was absolutely incredible,” he said.
“Niall’s ability was seriously undervalued. His awareness and link-up play were a major reason why Kevin had so much success alongside him. I don’t think I’ve seen a better combination that suited each other’s game so much. They were right up there with the very best the Premier League has ever produced.”
One of Kilbane’s most memorable moments in red and white came against Southampton, scoring a spectacular overhead kick to hand the Saints their final defeat at The Dell. “Probably [my best Sunderland goal],” he reflected. “If anyone googles it, there’s footage of it. I had the technique to do an overhead kick and had tried it in training a few times. But it’s always nice to score in front of your own fans – there are very few better atmospheres in world football than the Stadium of Light when it’s rocking and the team are playing well.”
It was that atmosphere – and the passion of Sunderland supporters – that left a lasting mark on the Republic of Ireland international, even if their relationship had its ups and downs. “My memory of playing for Ireland while I was a Sunderland player is that I didn’t necessarily endear myself to supporters because of my form,” he admitted.
“Whenever I got back from international duty, Bobby Saxton would say he was going to have to get Sunderland to play in green because he’d say, ‘That’s when we see the real you.’ I was proud that we had such a strong Irish connection at Sunderland, and that was very important to me.”
After more than 100 appearances for the Black Cats, Kilbane left in 2003 following relegation to join David Moyes’ Everton. He would go on to rebuild his career on Merseyside, where his work ethic and versatility earned him the respect of supporters.
“Things hadn’t gone as well as I would have liked at Sunderland,” he said. “After we got relegated, I wanted to stay in the Premier League, although I would have liked to stay and play under Mick McCarthy. I was lucky that David Moyes was at Everton when I was a kid at Preston, and I was delighted with that. From the moment I went to the club, I just had an incredible time.”
Kilbane would go on to earn 110 caps for the Republic of Ireland, 37 of them during his Sunderland years, including appearances at the 2002 World Cup – one of the proudest moments of his career. Now based in Toronto, Kilbane works as a broadcaster for TSN, covering Major League Soccer and international football.
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“When I did my degree in sports writing and broadcasting, it wasn’t something I was definitely planning on doing because I’d taken my coaching badges as well,” he explained. “I enjoyed doing the degree, worked for the BBC first, and now I live in Toronto and work for TSN, one of the national broadcasters out here. It’s been 13 years since I finished playing. We don’t cover the Premier League, but I still watch a lot of Premier League games.”
More than two decades after he first pulled on a Sunderland shirt, Kilbane’s reflections carry warmth and perspective – a player once caught in the storm now speaking with nothing but respect for the supporters who, he admits, didn’t always see the best of him. “There are very few better atmospheres in world football than the Stadium of Light when it’s rocking,” he said. “It’s nice to see Sunderland doing so well.”
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