Still room for improvement despite stellar start for Cats

ALEX Neil would have taken Sunderland’s start to the season if offered before a ball was kicked – but he admits he is now having second thoughts.

The Black Cats’ 1-0 win at Stoke City means they have now picked up eight points from their first five games since returning to the Championship.

That points haul has put them fifth in the table, albeit the season is still very much in its infancy.

Neil had said prior to the start of the campaign that his side was an unknown quantity at this level, with only a few players having played in the second tier before. That explains why he would have taken the club’s current situation if it had been offered to him before the season got under way.

However, he now feels they could have done even better, with the opening game against Coventry when the Sky Blues equalised late in the game, and then last weekend’s 2-2 draw against QPR when the Londoners scored twice in the final five minutes to snatch a point, clearly on his mind.

“If you had offered it to me at the start, I’d probably say yes because we were a really unknown quantity at this level,” he said when asked if he would have taken this start.

“The vast majority of the lads have never played at this level before.

“Based on the games that we’ve played though, I’ve probably got a different outlook on it because I think we have merited more [points] – the QPR one still hurts me to this day, and it’s not going to go away for a long time.

“We’re pleased with where we are, but it’s only the start of the season and there’s a long, long, way to go.”

While Sunderland could have picked up more points, Neil has been delighted by the way his players – and particularly the youngsters – have taken to the Championship.

He said: “There were 16 players