Sunderland moved to within one point of the European qualification places with a 3-1 win over Everton on Sunday
The conversation turns inevitably to Europe and a grin begins to form.
It is not lost on Luke O'Nien that things have changed somewhat since he first started doing these post-match interviews as a Sunderland player. Then the discussion would likely have been around getting the club out of League One, or maybe the Checkatrade Trophy. Or maybe whether O'Nien was more comfortable in attacking midfield or at right back.
Now it's about a Premier League comeback win, and a deserved one as that. O'Nien a key part of it at centre back, arguably the man of the match in a team display that set up a final day showdown with Chelsea in the race for European football.
While it would be fair to say that this all feels a little surreal, it's equally true that O'Nien and Sunderland don't see this as a flash in the pan - this second half performance reflected the fact that they firmly believe they belong at this level.
"I'm really proud of the boys for 37 games of hard work and it all came out in the second half there," O'Nien said.
"There's been a lot of work behind every single game. To get moments like that, points are always really hard earned in the Premier League and I'm proud that the boys have done it.
"I think the game was pretty close in the first half, it was two teams kind of cancelling each other out and it was kind of who could find that quality.
"They got a bit of luck with the deflection. We were close to getting in but we weren't quite good enough, it was just a few slack passes and then we connected the dots in the second half and when we did that, the forward players we've got can make magic happen and that's what they did.
"You've just got to take each game as it goes, he added.
"I think what we're building now, it doesn't just stop at this season, it's going to be hopefully the foundations for many, many years. So we've got to finish strong next week and it should be a good one."
While there has been some debate on Wearside as to whether a European campaign might come a little too soon, the view from the dressing room is clear.
"I'd love it," O'Nien said.
"I've been doing interviews for seven, nearly eight years at this club and I did quite a number in League One, so to have a question people ask me about European football shows kind of how far this club's come. Today was kind of like a semi-final, setting up next week's final.
"It's a tough game coming up and there's still a lot to play for with many, many clubs. We're going to enjoy today and then we're in tomorrow and there's going to be a lot of focus turning to watching this back, how do we get better, how do we improve and then get ready for next week.
"I think it's always important to dream and when you start to bridge that gap, it's like, 'whoa'. At the start of the season, not many people backed this squad to do what they've done.
"I think slowly you build that belief system," he added.
"That belief builds with building relationships, training every single day, grinding out wins and I think that belief of Europe is something that's grown over the course of the season. When you start looking at players, you start seeing how the boys perform, you go: 'we're a good team here'.
“But then you've seen in the Premier League, there's a very fine line between being a really, really good team and not getting the points and we've fallen on the right side of that line more often than not. But there's a lot of work [to be done]. Next week's not about doing anything different. It's what we've done for 37 games and we've got to bring the best we've ever done. It's not changing the game plan, it's what we've done for the last number of years and bring that better."
Luke O’Nien reflects on his return to the Sunderland side at Everton
"I love my football," O'Nien said.
"If it goes good, then I watch it back and I try to get better. When it doesn't go exactly how I need it to, I watch it back and I try to get better as well.
"I've got Brian every single day, I'm up against him, so I'm always asking him for advice. He's telling me what he likes, what he doesn't like.
"I get my head down, I try to make the team better, I try to make myself better. There's such a fine line in defending between clearing it, timing tackles right and then missing them and [the opposition] getting away. I try to, as I've got older, fall in love with the detail of, the ball might have hit the back of the net, but where could I have done better next time? I go into training, I try to compound that with better decisions, and then I turn back up again. If it goes well, I do the exact same processes. Fortunately, that process has led me to where I am today. It's what the team does, and I'll be doing that for the rest of my life and with my kids.
"I give everything, I turn up, I watch it back, I try to get better. That's my process, and I'll continue to do that."
Luke O'Nien: European footballer? You wouldn't bet against him.
Continue Reading