Luke inspired by neighbours’ hospitality

Luke O’Nien has revealed how Christmas dinner at his neighbours’ may have helped inspire his Boxing Day performance.

The Black Cats won 1-0 against Bradford City, with O’Nien putting in an energetic performance as a makeshift defender to keep his side within four points of the automatic promotion places - with two games in hand.

But it wasn’t just any normal matchday as Sunderland smashed the League One attendance record – welcoming a remarkable 46,039 supporters into the Stadium of Light.

“It was class,” said O’Nien. “It’s probably one of the most enjoyable games I’ve ever played in because of the crowd, Boxing Day, the buildup to the game - I’ve been watching those numbers tick over on Twitter on how many fans were coming.

“I’ve been excited and to seal it with a 1-0 win, the way we finished it off and got three points for the crowd, was incredible.

“We wanted a quick turnaround because of the Portsmouth game and there was no better way than doing it in front of 46,000 - it’s special.

“It’s a day I’m always going to remember and it puts us in a good position now in the table to kick on.”

Asked about his Christmas Day, and the suggestion he’d enjoyed THREE festive dinners, O’Nien added: “It’s not true, I can only deny that!

“My neighbours were class to have me around for dinner but I think they got sick of me when I got too competitive with the board games.

“They’re very kind to me, it was a good day, I hope everyone enjoyed it and enjoyed Boxing Day.”