Lee Cattermole opens up on a 'special day' against Plymouth, his goalscoring form and Sunderland's promotion hopes

Lee Cattermole is delighted to be helping Sunderland climb towards promotion - but warns that the side have achieved nothing yet.
Lee Cattermole has now netted five times for Sunderland this seasonLee Cattermole has now netted five times for Sunderland this season
Lee Cattermole has now netted five times for Sunderland this season

The midfielder went nine years without scoring at the Stadium of Light, but has now netted in back-to-back home games as the Black Cats continue their push for promotion back to the Championship.

Cattermole's latest strike was the opener in a 2-0 win over Plymouth Argyle, which saw Sunderland keep up the pressure on the top two in League One.

Lee Cattermole has now netted five times for Sunderland this seasonLee Cattermole has now netted five times for Sunderland this season
Lee Cattermole has now netted five times for Sunderland this season
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And while the result was the priority against the Pilgrims, equally pleasing was a performance among the best seen on Wearside that campaign.

MORE: Plymouth boss reveals why his side were 'scared' at SunderlandIndeed, Cattermole sensed that it could be a 'special day' having been impressed with his side's performance in the first half.

"I thought it was going to be a real special day," he admitted, speaking to safc.com.

"The way we played first half was outstanding, I think it's as good a 45 minutes as we've played barring Scunthorpe at home where we really played well.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

We could have been three or four-nil up at half-time. We knew it was going to be difficult in the second half. They've come a long way from Plymouth and we knew the manager would get into them and make sure he got a response.

"From the level we were at in the first-half, we probably didn't reach that, but we dug in and ground the result out."

A big talking point from the victory was Cattermole's fifth goal of a season which has seen him make important contributions at both ends of the pitch.

READ: Jack Ross reveals why Lee Cattermole has suddenly hit the goal trailAnd while pleased to find the net again, the 30-year-old is focused on helping the side achieve three points rather than his own contributions.

"It's funny how things happen, isn't it?," he joked.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"It's not something I've really focused on throughout my career but the way the game was going in the first half, I thought I could start getting in the box a little bit more. We were so comfortable and getting in some good areas.

"We had a little switch, started getting forward more and I'm delighted to be scoring goals and helping the team.

"Mainly it's about getting three points, it's important now that we keep clean sheets because we've got so much quality in the team to create chances."

Victory over Plymouth ensured that Sunderland remained within touching distance of the automatic promotion places - just two points adrift of Barnsley in second with a game in hand.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

MORE: Ross reflects on some of Sunderland's best football this seasonCattermole knows nothing is sealed as of yet, but knows Sunderland are hitting a rich vein of form at precisely the right time.

"There's quality through the leagues and everyone is competitive," he admitted.

"We've got no given right to go and win games of football. People make it difficult for us every week.

"We've achieved nothing as of yet and we just need to keep working, keep our feet on the ground, but I think we're hitting form at the right time."