SUNDERLAND 10 YEARS AGO: Yorke in line for debut, Keane off to a flyer, Keane can be our new Keegan

SEPTEMBER 9, 2006

HOME START FOR YORKE:

Leeds game will come too soon for Dwight.

DWIGHT YORKE is in line for a Stadium of Light Sunderland debut.

The striker’s arrival on Wearside has been delayed as he tied up loose ends after his deadline day move from Australian A-League champions Sydney FC.

The Trinidad and Tobago star should begin training with the Black Cats next week, but manager Roy Keane does not expect his old Manchester United team-mate to feature in Sunderland’s trip to Leeds next Wednesday.

Keane said: “That might be a bit too soon for Yorkie. We want him to have a good week’s training first to get the journey out of his system.

“You can’t underestimate how many things have to be organised when a player changes clubs. That goes for transfers in this country, let alone from the other side of the world.

“Yorkie had things to sort out in Sydney before coming over here and I understand that.

“But I’ve spoken to him and he’ll be well up for it when he gets here.”

Sunderland host Leicester City a week today and that could see Yorke’s introduction to the Black Cats’ faithful. 

RAM RAIDER:

Keane off to a flyer with superb comeback

ROY KEANE got his managerial career off to a winning start this afternoon as his Sunderland players came from behind to grab a morale-boosting victory.

The manager fielded all five of the six new signings available to him and Sunderland got off to a lively start before the first half settled into a stalemate with very few chances in front of goal.

The deadlock was broken on the very stroke of half time when Derby took the lead – Mo Camara’s cross from the left was cushioned back across the face of goal by striker Steve Howard and skipper Matt Oakley crashed the ball home in a crowded penalty area.

Sunderland showed great resolve, though, and turned the game on its head with two goals in the space of 90 seconds.

In the 61st minute, Chris Brown drew his team level, bundling the ball home from close range after great work inside the box by Graham Kavanagh.

Then in the 63rd minute debutant Ross Wallace was coolness personified as he rifled home a low shot from 15 yards.

Both sides had chances to score in the minutes that followed.

But despite referee Tony Bates inexplicably playing six minutes time added on Sunderland held out for a fabulous victory.

And shouts of “There’s only one Keano” reverberated around the ground at the final whistle as Sunderland’s travelling army of nearly 5,000 fans cheered the final whistle to the rafters.

KEANE CAN BE OUR NEW KEEGAN:

Robbie’s backing new boss to build on buzz

ROBBIE ELLIOTT hopes Roy Keane can bring the same success to Sunderland as Kevin Keegan did to Newcastle.

Keegan put his reputation in the line when he took over the ailing Mags in February 1992 and made them into a Premiership force.

Elliott played under Keegan on Tyneside and would love Keane’s revolution to have a similar impact.

The full-back said: “The buzz he’s brought to Sunderland is the same (as Keegan) – you could tell that from the immense support we took to Derby.

“He’s just lifted the whole club and, the whole area and we’re on the crest of a wave. We have to keep the momentum going and see where it takes us.

“When Kevin came we were in awe of him and there was a sense of amazement and it’s the same in the dressing room at the minute.

“You’d like to think it will be a positive thing and it’s a pleasure to be around the place. That’s something the lads at Sunderland haven’t had for a long time.

“Round the City, in the dressing room – it’s similar to how it was at Newcastle. Bringing in an untried manager – there are obviously similarities.

“It would be fantastic to go where Newcastle did. We were close to the bottom of this division when Kevin came in – he kept us up and the next season we ran away with the league.

“You’d like to think we’ve got the management in early enough this season, there’s no reason why we can’t push up, but we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves.”

Sunderland grabbed a 2-1 comeback win at Derby in Keane’s first match in charge as five of the Irishman’s six deadline-day signing made their debuts.

Elliott said: “There’s been a big change in the club with the influx of players and the new management but we’ve managed to carry on where we left off against West Brom.

“We stepped up a gear in the second-half on Saturday, and in the end we were quite easy winners.

“The new players fitted in well together and I’m sure it’s only going to get better because they are quality signings. The lads put in a hell of a shift and we go to Leeds on Wednesday with a hell of a lot of confidence.”

THE HEAT IS ON:

CHRIS BROWN scored the first goal of the Roy Keane era and admitted no-one at Sunderland can now relax.

Keane introduced all five available deadline day signings for Saturday’s 2-1 win at Derby. Dwight Yorke is now with the Black Cats’ squad, and brown says the pressure is on to produce.

The 21-year-old striker said: “Being in the gaffer’s first team filled me with confidence. He’s brought in a lot of signings quickly and that puts pressure on everyone to do their jobs.

“There’s competition in every position now and the lads know that the gaffer will make changes. But he’s filled us with confidence really and when you’ve got a guy like Roy Keane expressing his faith in you then it can only help belief.

“We’ve got a couple of wins under our belts now and we’ve got to go to Leeds on Wednesday and keep the momentum going. If we can put a run together we can get among the top group of teams quickly.

Derby took the lead through skipper Matt Oakley in first-half injury time before Sunderland sparked into life at Pride Park. Brown netted a 62nd-minute leveller then new boy Ross Wallace added the winner 90 seconds later.

Both were booked for their celebrations in front of 4,709 travelling fans – Brown for jumping into the crowd and Wallace for removing his shirt.

The striker said: “I needed that goal for my confidence. I’ve been doing OK in games but a striker is judged on goals. It was a daft booking to get and I’ll know not to do the same again in future, but it was a special moment scoring in front of our fans.

“It was a massive turnout. They were our 12th man.”

Brown said Keane had won the respect of his players without having to show his hard side.

“When we went in at half-time on Saturday there was no shouting or anything,” said the forward. “I don’t think we would have deserved a rollicking. He said he believed in us and to be told that when you’re a goal down is a big boost.