Sunderland boss thrilled to put August jinx to bed with impressive triumph

Simon Grayson said Sunderland's August hoodoo is '˜part of the past' after securing his first league win as Black Cats boss.

Grayson’s side secured a superb 3-1 win at Norwich yesterday to secure their first opening-month win since 2010.

He said: “That’s part of the past. Records are there to be broken. It is not a hoodoo I have had because I have won league games in August elsewhere.

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“It is just part and parcel of what has gone wrong at this club over a period of time. We are not getting carried away. We have too many games in front of us.”

Grayson is also confident that high spirits in the camp can help combat any fatigue as Sunderland’s fixtures continue to pile up.

He said: “We have Sheffield Wednesday (next on Wednesday), Leeds, Barnsley and Carlisle United in the next two weeks.

“We played Thursday and only made four changes, flew down yesterday and are in action again Wednesday.

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“It will test the squad. We like to rotate it but players don’t get as tired when they are winning matches.

“I’m sure there will be a few niggles and players not wanting to play if we were losing games!”

Grayson also praised Lee Cattermole’s leadership, saying: “Lee was man of the match against Derby, he is very experienced. He missed a lot of football last season and he is a vital player to us.

“He is a team player, working for each other and we have tried to instill that into all the group.

“If it keeps rubbing off onothers then long may it continue. He is vital, as are many of the players.”