STADIUM OF DELIGHT
McGeady’s so glad he didn’t Jack it in
AIDEN McGEADY admits he was ready to quit Sunderland in the summer until boss Jack Ross came in with a revival plan.
The turmoil of successive relegations, including last year’s shambolic Championship season, is quickly being blown away this season.
A hard-fought draw against excellent Wycombe, earned by an 84th-minute Josh Maja goal, kept the points column ticking over for second-placed Sunderland after eight consecutive wins.
Straight
McGeady was one of the home side’s bright performers, and while he knows there is plenty of work to be done, Sunderland are back on the up.
The Irish winger said: “I didn’t enjoy last season. No one did. But a new manager came in with foundations and said, ‘Here we go, this is how we are going to have a go, and go straight back up,’. That was completely different and I want to be part of that. I know everyone else does as well.
“There’s definitely more optimism around the place. The first game of the season felt different immediately.
“Training has been good, enjoyable and fun. You can talk to the staff and manager on a personal level instead of seeing a manager and saying, ‘There’s the manager’.
“In the summer people were asking me if I was going to stay. I never said I wanted to leave – unless it was going to be like last season.
“I don’t think we were helped last season by all the things that went on off the pitch. Fans came to games and vented their frustrations at the team and the owners. We weren’t playing well which added to it. But this season has been completely different.
“Fans have come back in big numbers for League One.
“We go into fixtures thinking we will win. There is an awful lot of work to do to achieve our aim and bounce back up.”
There was frustration from Ross that Sunderland missed the chance to go top. They were stifled by Gareth Ainsworth’s plan until a rousing last 20-minute revival when Maja got his 11th of the season and cancelled out a 67th-minute volley from Fred Onyedinma.
Ainsworth said: “It was a superb performance. We were the better side in the first half and then Sunderland piled pressure on us in the last 15 minutes.
“I am proud we didn’t crumble. We stood strong. We came here and competed with the league’s best team.
“There is no greater gulf between two clubs financially as us and Sunderland.
“We stayed next to the Stadium of Light and walked here with our heads held high.
“I told the lads to enjoy playing here and we came close to a win.”