A Sunderland legend has delivered a positive verdict on the Black Cats’ performances during their first season back in the Premier League.
Sunderland legend Gary Bennett paid tribute to Regis Le Bris and his Black Cats squad ahead of a final push towards the European places.
Sunday’s narrow home win against relegation threatened Tottenham Hotspur left the Black Cats in tenth place in the Premier League table and they now sit just one point adrift of seventh placed Brentford and just six points from the Champions League places. That is all a far cry from the mood at the start of the campaign when many connected with Sunderland would have been happy with avoiding relegation - but rather than just surviving, Le Bris and his players are thriving amongst the elite of English football and have become the surprise package of the season.
With just six games remaining in an already memorable campaign, Sunderland are firmly in the conversation for European competition and Bennett believes the Black Cats boss and his squad deserve the plaudits for comfortably preserving their top flight status and is excited over what could lie ahead between now and the end of the season.
Speaking on BBC Newcastle following the weekend win over Tottenham at the Stadium of Light, Bennett said: "It was a fantastic result yet again. It is a big three points. We have just got to look forward to the next six games now, let's see where they take us. We keep surprising people, don't we? Tottenham looked good at times but it isn't just about looking good, it's also about getting results.
"From Sunderland's point of view, it is another clean sheet and another three points. Who knows what could happen from here? I remember all the talk about maybe needing 40 points for survival this season. However, we did say it would be enough when we got to 33 points. But it is credit to the manager and the players because we kept going and made it to 40 points to guarantee our safety. Now we're wondering if we can push on and maybe get another six or nine points [in the remaining games]. Imagine where that would take us!"
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