It’s starting to click now on Wearside

DYLAN McGeouch can see signs of things coming together for Sunderland in pre-season – both as a team and for him personally too, writes CRAIG JOHNS.

That was certainly helped by getting the first victory of the summer on Tuesday evening at Grimsby Town’s Blundell Park. Lynden Gooch’s goal gave Sunderland a 1-0 win.

In a summer of big changes on Wearside, McGeouch was the most attractive name of the six summer signings at the Stadium of Light so far, arriving after a fantastic season at Hibernian earned him their Player of the Year award. Many described his capture as a coup for the Black Cats.

Sunderland have not had it easy in recent seasons and this summer has already seen wholesale changes to the playing squad – with plenty more likely to come before the end of the transfer window.

McGeouch is aware that it will take time, but says he’s finally starting to find his feet at the club.

“I think over the games we’re starting to get better and better and Tuesday was an all-round good performance,” he said of the victory over the Mariners.

“We could maybe have got a few more goals just to finish it off but it was a good 90 minutes; good for our fitness and we look to be moving in the right direction. Things are starting to click for us and we keep getting better each game.

“Every team brings different challenges and it’s adapting to that.

“I obviously knew I was coming to a big club and teams know that as well because we’ve come down and we’re looking to bounce back up.

“It’s something we need to face head on, we can’t shy away from it, we need to roll our sleeves up and when we can get the ball down and play that’s when we can show the talent we have in the team.

“It’s going to be a fight this year and teams are going to play long balls and put the ball on top of us so we need to match that, play off second balls and when we get the chance to play, we can do that.”

The Scottish international midfielder has featured in all three of the Black Cats’ summer workouts so far – against Darlington, Hartlepool and Grimsby respectively.

He’s operated an anchoring role in Ross’ midfield which, on paper, looks similar to that which he occupied at Hibs. But McGeouch says there are some differences, and therefore adapting still to do.

He said: “If I can get on the ball, make things happen and dictate the tempo, then great. That’s kind of my job in the team and what I bring.”