Sunderland Ladies' boss opens up on promotion 'relief', plans for the season ahead and long-term future of the club

"It was just a sense of relief, I think," she explains.

"The club put a lot of hard work into the application and the coaching staff put a lot into that as well.

"It was just relief that it was accepted and that we were able to step up to the next level.

"It would have been a real sucker punch if it had been denied.

"Relief was definitely the main emotion."

Sunderland' s sporting performance over two seasons had meant they were strong contenders when the FA announced their criteria for considering promotion, but crucial was the support from the club to ensure all other requirements were met.

It was a seismic and no doubt emotional moment for all involved in the journey back from the brink, an enforced double relegation entirely out of the control of players and staff.

The 'lowest of lows', as Reay describes it.

Reay has never really been one to dwell too much on the past, and so it is 'onwards and upwards' from here.

That demotion will provide a welcome reference for the challenges that lie ahead, though.

As she wryly observes, 'what could possibly be worse than that?'

And challenges ahead there will unquestionably be.

Sunderland enter the Championship after a relatively short turnaround from that promotion decision, and following a pre-season campaign that was not without some COVID-19 complications.

They are also entering a league where a number of clubs, including Sunderland's first opponents Coventry United, have turned professional.

"I think it will make it tougher," Reay explains.

"We were up against it a lot of the time in the Super League against teams who were full time.

"I do think it takes time for an athlete to develop into a professional footballer, I don't think just because you're full time you're suddenly going to be an amazing players.

"It takes time physically to develop those adaptations.

"We have upped our training as well, the girls have worked really hard and are in good shape physically, so we're really looking forward to the challenge."

Promotion always poses the question of where next, and how to strike the balance between continuity and progression.

Sunderland, very clearly, will be doubling down on the approach that has helped them rebuild from that lowest ebb.

Reay has been managing a youthful squad long before it became the entire club's overarching philosophy during the past year, and this season it will be no different.

"We've got a fantastic regional talent centre which has been responsible for producing some of the England stars of today, and we believe there are more to come," she explains.

"We're so proud of the players who have come through here and to have played a small part in their success. Players like Jill Scott, the most-capped English player, an amazing achievement.

"We are hoping in the future to get an academy team that can help bridge the gap between the RTC and the senior team, so that we can develop even more players under the Sunderland banner.

"We've got some great young players.

"Libbi McInnes who has just been called up to England U18s is one to watch, players like Neve Herron and Jessica Brown, to be 18-year-old and playing at this level is a real achievement for them.

"I'm a big believer in developing youth.

"We have a very young squad but we believe that if you're good enough you're old enough and we have a group here that are more than capable.

"I trust them and I wouldn't have signed them if I didn't believe they could do a job.

"We're looking to develop them, educate them, and hopefully they can be future stars."

Reay has been able, though, to add some crucial experience to her ranks.

"We've brought in players who we think can make a difference, and we're going to give opportunities to players who have got us in this position," she says.

"We've brought back some experienced players who have got Sunderland in their blood.

"Emma Kelly has come back from Birmingham, who played in the WSL for us, and Charlotte Potts has come back from Hibernian and has that Super League experience. Those two will be pivotal for us.

"Being a part-time side, I'm happy with what I've got.

"I don't think really I could have offered what was needed to bring anyone else in. Geography is against us when it comes to recruitment but we've got a strong squad of 18, a youthful squad, and we are really looking forward to seeing what they can do."

Championship football represents a significant step up for Reay's group and as such, this season is about gaining a foothold and building towards the future.

"We want to sustain ourselves in the league," she explains.

"We want to be in this position again next year, still in the Championship as a more experienced team for our first year.

"We've done our research as to what it takes to survive in the Championship and we've shared that with the players.

"We've split the season into blocks and we'll take it slowly through the season, monitoring how we go.

"We know exactly what we have to do.

"In the long term, we of course want to just build and build our way eventually out of the Championship and into the Super League."

Resilience is the word that perhaps describes Reay's group best.

The journey back to where they belong takes another big step forward on Sunday.

They'll keep doing it their way.

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