Sunderland Women have made their best start to the season since promotion in 2021
When the US multi-club ownership group Bay Collective took over Sunderland Women earlier this year, they did so with a bold ambition to return the club to the very highest echelons of the game.
Right from the initial conversations with executives, however, it was made clear that this would be very different from other high-profile takeovers that have seen playing budgets balloon overnight and big-name players targeted. Tellingly, one of their first moves in charge was to appoint the experienced Rehanne Skinner as Technical Director and to secure some of the club's best young players to new contracts. This is a long-term project, with a focus on getting the infrastructure right and harnessing the region's talent and passion for the game.
There were no promises of overnight success or an immediate promotion push, and yet Kay Cossington's (Bay Collective's CEO) promise that fans would see improvement has already started to materialise. Four games in, and Sunderland have made their best start since winning promotion back to the second tier in 2021. The Black Cats face Leicester City on Sunday afternoon at Eppleton (2pm kick off) looking to head into the first international break having bolstered their position as an early promotion contender.
"If you had asked us where we wanted to be and the amount of points that we've got, I would have snapped your hand off for it," head coach Mel Reay tells The Echo.
"So we're in a really good position and I think it makes the squad hungry for more and to push more. We've got a really competitive squad and we've got a lot of good players who are knocking on the door, wanting to be in that starting XI. So, you know, the environment and the culture that we've got is really, really positive."
Sunderland's ethos has not changed; the squad who beat Watford 2-1 last weekend boasted five academy graduates. Forward Katy Watson has kicked on again this season, and will likely start on Sunday having recovered from a minor knock. Yet there was a clear shift in ambition and capacity in the club's summer recruitment, with ten players arriving who have lifted both the level and experience in the squad.
Sunderland forward Katy Watsonplaceholder image
Sunderland forward Katy Watson | Sunderland AFC
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"The experience of some of the new players that we've brought in, they've played a lot of international football," Reay says.
"Someone like Sanni Franssi, who has close to 100 caps for Finland. These players know how to win. These players know what a high-performing environment should look like and they help drive the standards on what things should look like as well. So they've all been welcome additions and they've all added value in their own way. Some of them are more experienced, some of them are really young internationals like Ria Bose who's come in over the last week after being back from the U20. World Cup. We've got really good players who we can get on the pitch."
Crucially, Sunderland have also signed goals. Elise Hughes won the golden boot when Crystal Palace won promotion in 2023, and has made a fast start to life on Wearside with three goals from four. In a division where there is little between much of the teams and games are often settled on fine margins, it could make all the difference.
"She's a proven goalscorer, which is what we wanted," Reay explains.
"She's a really nice character, a really strong personality within the group and is a real focal point for us on the front line. A very strong centre-forward who we can play into and she's a really good finisher."
Expectations are being kept firmly in check behind the scenes, with Newcastle United sitting top of the table with four wins from four. After two years of underperformance relative to their budget and ambition, their start this time around is ominous for the rest of the division. Even so, there is a lot of football to be played and there is an added incentive for the chasing pack this year as a second-placed finish will earn a shot at promotion through a play-off game against the second-bottom side in the WSL.
Though Sunderland have at times started well in recent years and not quite been able to sustain it, the extra depth and quality in the squad suggests this time around could be different. Most encouraging in the long run is that the new arrivals have helped the team progress on the pitch aside from the obvious end product in terms of results, with Reay able to oversee a clear change in playing style.
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"We'll look through the games that we've played in the break coming up but, we've been really pleased with how dominant we've been in games," Reay says.
"We've been really pleased with our ball possession which has massively increased from last season, I think that's really evident. The amount of final third entries that we're getting now, we're really on the front foot in games. We'd like a couple of more clean sheets, to be a little bit tidier but we'll go one step at a time."
The season so far has not been without its frustrations, with the first Stadium of Light fixture of the campaign clashing directly with the men's 5-3 defeat at Manchester City. That saw a small gate and a frustrating 0-0 draw, albeit against a solid Southampton side. On and off the pitch it is a long road to where the club would like to be, but that has been evident from day one. These are the first steps in a major project, and they have been encouragingly assured.