The 22-year-old despatched a tremendous 25-yard effort in off Manuel Almunia's bar to give the Black Cats an 85th-minute lead – less than two minutes after he had come on as a substitute.

He marked the goal by running to the section of turf under which father Brian's ashes were buried in the summer and kissing it.

The midfielder was in tears as the game kicked off again, remembering his beloved dad, who died in a tragic accident at the age of 50 in June.

"The people who know me know why I kissed that area of the ground," said Leadbitter.

"My dad's ashes were buried there.

"I don't want to go on about it, it just means a lot to me and my family.

"It's exactly that spot and it was always my intention to do something like that when I scored my first goal here (since he died).

"He was my dad, so he was obviously a big supporter of mine, but Saturday was not just about me – I didn't want it to be like that – it was about the team.

"We got the point and that's what matters.

"I had people in the stand who were close to me, I looked towards them and they know what it's all about."

* Full story in tonight's Sunderland Echo