Sunderland could seal a spot in Europe next season if they beat Chelsea at the Stadium of Light on Sunday

It’s standard practice for Sunderland to use their social media channels early in the week to look ahead to the next game. On Tuesday, there was a subtle but very significant difference. Under a picture of Granit Xhaka celebrating, the now famous Cat’s Eyes were back. ‘Til The End’, read the message between them.

Since Sunderland all but secured their Premier League safety with a win over Leeds United back in March, supporters have been able to look up the table and dream. With that, though, came a debate. Might it be a bit soon for Europe? Might it be better to settle in midtable, regroup and go again without the headache of extra fixtures for a small squad still adjusting to the level? Without resorting to a big rallying cry, this was as strong a message Sunderland could possibly have sent to their fanbase. Evoking the iconic mantra so closely associated with the club’s extraordinary rise back from League One can leave no one in any doubt whatsoever: Sunderland are going for this.

In the days after that win at Leeds, Régis Le Bris brought his players together to reset and to try and ensure that the standards didn’t drop now that the main aim of the campaign had been achieved. He didn’t set a new points target, conscious that a couple of poor results could quickly render that source of motivation irrelevant. He talked instead of the need to demonstrate that the club were serious about being an established Premier League force, which meant not resting on their laurels but driving on again. How we finish this season, he explained, will define the next. Perhaps Le Bris sensed that no specific target was necessary. The view from inside the dressing room was clear: Sunderland would stay humble, but target a European place if they could get it.

Le Bris was there to keep feet on the ground when required, with the aftermath of a 5-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest one obvious example, but Sunderland’s performances by and large showed the players had not switched off. They dug in at Wolves with ten men, outplayed Manchester United, and roared back from a goal down to win away at Everton. There were no grandiose statements from the dressing room but actions were speaking louder than words - this season was far from over.

Most football clubs suffer much of the time from the fact that the expectations of the fanbase often surpass those on the inside. Supporters can cite the history of the club or the size of the crowd or the pedigree of individual players and argue the team is underperforming. Inside, the talk may well be of other clubs having bigger budgets or more experience or whatever it might be that explains the apparent underperformance. The tension between the two can become a vicious cycle, but Sunderland have this season existed in the happy spot of expectations in the dressing room seemingly being higher than those on the terraces. Most fans came into this campaign rightly dreaming of survival and anything beyond that being a bonus; the players have evidently wanted more.

Which brings us to Sunday. At the end of the best twelve months generations of Sunderland fans have ever experienced there is the promise of one last, glorious twist. It is a luxury that football rarely offers: nothing to lose and everything to gain. Sure, it will all feel a little flat if Sunderland don’t get over the line because who can say when this opportunity will come around again? Strip it back, though, and the worst-case scenario is the best campaign in over 20 years and the most fun many have ever had following their team ending with a loss to the Club World Cup champions and a 12th-placed finish. This would be slightly easier to get over than, say, losing a League One play-off final in the 96th minute. And the reward? The promise of adventures over 50 years in the making and memories that will last a lifetime.

If there was any doubt about what Europe could mean not just to Sunderland but the city on the whole, the scenes in Istanbul as Aston Villa ended their long way for a trophy on Wednesday will surely have put pay to it.

If Sunderland get over the line and results go their way, there will without doubt be challenges to overcome. UEFA’s financial rules will mean Sunderland have to make their squad bigger and better while suffering an immediate 15% reduction in the budget they could theoretically have to do so. The financial rewards of the UEFA Conference League are reasonable but not life changing, not even remotely comparable to those brought by Tommy Watson’s strike at Wembley twelve months ago. The fatigue that extra fixtures will inevitably bring will inevitably mean some tough afternoons in the Premier League. It would also mean incredible exposure for a football club trying to expand its fanbase and commercial revenue. It would be a powerful incentive to encourage more talented players to choose Sunderland as their next destination, and help convince those already in the building that their future is surely on Wearside for at least another year.

And surely if we have learned anything from the last twelve months, it’s that football is about moments. This would be one of the biggest and one of the very best. Why not dream right ‘Til The End?

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