Dan Neil opens up on his 'rollercoaster' breakthrough year at Sunderland - and has this upbeat promotion message

Promising appearances in the Papa John's Trophy, some brief cameos from the bench in League One.

Even if it was clear then in the composed, assured way he carried himself that he was destined for greater things, it would have been hard to comprehend the pace with which his career would take off in the months that followed.

Playing more minutes than any other player in pre-season, starting the League One campaign in a left-back role which he had barely played before.

Moving back into midfield to lead the early stages of the promotion charge, his first goal for his boyhood club, rising to the top of the assists charts (and doing so without even taking set pieces).

That's hardly the half of it. A recall to the England youth set up, being scouted repeatedly by Premier League clubs, being named EFL Young Player of the Month. Going toe-to-toe with Odegaard, Xhaka and co in a cup quarter final at The Emirates Stadium. Most reassuringly for Sunderland fans, a new long-term deal.

Then the other side of it, the perhaps inevitable mental fatigue and the pain of Sunderland's automatic promotion hopes all but disappearing.

The departure of Lee Johnson, and the tumult that folllowed.

"I feel like 2021 sort of went from 0 to 100 very, very fast," Neil says.

Neil is collecting the North East Football Writers' Association Young Player of the Year award at The Ramside, following the footsteps of Josh Maja and Jordan Pickford, amongst others.

"I loved every minute of it, playing for my boyhood club, and I just want to make 2022 even better to be honest.

"I hadn't really experienced any of the highs or lows of football and to be honest, I think I probably experienced just about all of it over the last year.

"I think I'm better equipped to deal with it all now than I was a year ago, but having said that I know that I've still got a lot to learn.

"And obviously, what I really want to experience is that promotion at the end of this season.

"I signed that long-term deal because I believe in the club, and I want to get it back to where it belongs.

"Hopefully at the end of the season, that can be the first small steps to doing that."

If that looks some way off for Sunderland right now, then Neil takes confidence from two team performances that suggest Alex Neil's methods are beginning to make an impact.

"It's been an absolute rollercoaster, the last year," he adds.

"A good one at times, and a frustrating one at times.

"We started really well, had that little dip around those Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday games, go on another really good run, then obviously the managers goes because of our lack of form.

"I'm hoping now, the last two games have been a lot more positive and hopefully we can start picking up a bit of momentum heading towards the end of the season.

"It's tough for any manager coming in during a season, and it's actually the first time I've experienced it as well.

"Change of tactics, change of everything really in terms of that day-to-day structure.

"It's one of those where it's always going to take a few weeks to adapt, not just for players but the coaching staff. He needs to get to know us, we need to get to know him and his staff.

"The last two games have been a lot more positive, and hopefully that can continue.

"It's not over until it's over. We've still got every fighting chance, and we just need to build some momentum off the back of these last two performances."

One of the biggest challenges for Neil has been in managing the emotions of that rollercoaster.

From a family of Sunderland fans, and having been in the academy since the early years of his career, every one of those early wins was all the more exhilarating.

But every one of those defeats and dropped points was equally tough to process, and finding ways to stay level has been a key challenge as he looks to build on this breakthrough year.

"When you're winning it's doubly good when you've grown up as a fan yourself, and you know how happy you are making everyone feel going home," he explains.

"The other side of it is that when you're not, it's doubly bad because you know upset and frustrated people are.

"I think one thing I've probably learned is that I have to take the emotion out of it, and not think as much as a Sunderland fan.

"You want to try and stay level rather than being on that rollercoaster yourself."

The Neil fan club is out in full force tonight, from family friends to those at Hebburn Town who have followed his progress keenly right from those very early days.

It's not lost on Neil that it is not so long ago that all of this felt a distant dream, a major injury robbing him of almost two years of his development.

"All the way from being six, seven from first going to the academy all the way through to now, my family have been there for me," Neil says.

"I'm a bit more in the spotlight now but they've helped me keep my feet on the ground.

"It's been well documented that I had a really bad injury a few years ago, and my family really helped me get through what was a tough period.

"I'm hoping that they're enjoying the rewards of it now."

The challenge first and foremost for Neil is to get back into the team.

One of Alex Neil's first assessments of his squad was that too many young players were in need of a rest, and that has meant a rare spell on the bench for the 20-year-old.

"I want to play every game, and I pretty much did that until the end of January," Neil says.

"The gaffer came in and just said that he felt I was fatigued, mentally more than physically to be honest, because of all these ups and downs and the rollercoaster that we've been on.

"We just had a chat and he said, 'listen I'm going to take you out for a few, relax and get yourself back to the way you are because we want you' firing at the end of the season'.

"That's the way I've tried to look at it as well.

"Obviously I don't want it to be too long, but at the same time we've got some good players in the team.

"Jay Matete has done really well, Luke O'Nien is coming back, Corry is playing well.

"It's not just going to be an easy walk back into the team. I'm going to have to earn and hopefully I can be firing again when the crunch time this season comes."

No one who was watched this thrilling rise would bet against it.

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