Sunderland’s Championship campaign ended in one of the most memorable days of the club’s modern history as they beat Sheffield United 2-1 and Wembley.
It concluded a remarkable campaign from Régis Le Bris and his squad, competing for the top two for much of the season and rallying at the crucial moment when those hopes ebbed away. The achievement is all the more impressive when you consider the youth of the squad, and the fact that they had significantly less financial backing than many of their divisional rivals.
The celebrations will continue for a long period yet but Sunderland will also quickly have to begin their preparations for the major challenge of trying to survive and consolidate in the Premier League. With that in mind, we’ve rated the season of every player to make a Championship appearance in search of some clues for the rebuild ahead...
17. Jobe Bellingham
Emerged as a real leader despite his age, and revelled in a box-to-box midfield role. Defended well, drove into dangerous areas and chipped in with the odd vital goal. Destined for the very top and could well even be playing Champions League football next season, so rapid is his development and obvious his potential. 9 | Getty Images
18. Milan Aleksic
A frustrating first year on Wearside. Showed flashes of potential in rare cameo appearances but never came particularly close to establishing himself. Hard to see a big role for him next season as things stand but there is one obvious caveat to that: We said exactly the same about Eliezer Mayenda this time last season. Sunderland made a big investment in Aleksic amid significant interest from across Europe, so they’ll give him plenty of time. 4 | Getty Images
19. Harrison Jones
A massive season in the youngster’s career. Pushed his way into first-team contention with impressive training performances and didn’t look out of his depth when Le bris handed him starts in the cup and then the league. Interesting to see what the future holds as he’s taken a big step forward this year - a very good loan to the EFL will surely be his minimum reward. 7 | Chris Fryatt
20. Adil Aouchiche
Struggled to force his way into Le Bris’s plans but earned a lot of respect for the way he kept plugging away. Found an unlikely route back into the side on the left wing and did OK there over the festive period. Works hard and so one Sunderland fans will wish well, but hard to see him playing a big part next season after a mixed loan spell at Portsmouth. 5 | Nigel Roddis/Getty Images) Photo: Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)