Why the Premier League is better with Sunderland in it

Sunderland have secured promotion to the Premier League after they triumphed 2-1 over Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final at Wembley, ending an eight-year absence from England's top-flight.

In an extraordinary finish, local lad Tom Watson - who will depart Wearside for Brighton in the summer - was the hero of the hour as the striker stroked a sublime finish into the bottom corner deep into stoppage time.

Only 20 minutes prior it had appeared Sunderland were on course for heartbreak as they trailed to Tyrese Campbell's first half goal and with Sheffield United in the ascendancy.

But the Black Cats were defiant and their persistence eventually bore fruit as Eliezer Mayenda completed an incisive Sunderland attack by producing an emphatic finish beyond Michael Cooper.

With the game seemingly destined for extra-time, substitute Watson found a few yards of space on the edge of the Sheffield United penalty area and finished with aplomb to send the travelling Mackems behind the goal delirious.

The goal seals Sunderland's return to the Premier League after an eight-year absence which has been filled with the humiliation of successive relegations, a catalogue of failed managerial appointments and a prolonged stint in League One.

Let's not beat around the bush; the Premier League is a greater product with Sunderland in it.

Envision the Stadium of Light on the opening day of the season filled with over 40,000 vocal Mackems. The noise. The energy. The enthusiasm. In a modern age where Sky Sports continue to strengthen their grip of top-flight domestic football with its ever-expanding coverage, it's refreshing to see the Premier League welcome the return of a ferociously passionate fanbase.

Now try to imagine what it will be like when their fierce enemies Newcastle United visit Wearside. The Magpies' resurgent climb to the upper echelons of the Premier League has only served to heighten the stakes in one of this country's most bitter rivalries.

Having the Tyne-Wear derby back is one thing, hoping Sunderland are competitive in it is another.

But this is not the Black Cats we were acquainted to in the Premier League over a decade ago. The club have invested in the future and it's paying dividends.

They reached the final with the youngest squad in the Championship, flaunting an average age of 23.2 years. Several of their youngest stars have been instrumental in their success, including the highly-sought pair of Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg.

At the age of 20, Eliezer Mayenda was the youngest goalscorer in a Championship play-off final for 32 years, until 19 minutes later he was surpassed by the 19-year-old Watson, who netted just his third senior goal.

The former was signed from Sochaux as part of the club's impressive recruitment model, the latter another product of the increasingly fertile Academy of Light.

In a squad littered with potential, Regis Le Bris has managed to assemble all of the components and produce something magical. It's impressive how a team with such a youthful complexion conquered the adversity of their end-of-season slump to thwart Coventry City and fought from behind once again to complete the comeback against Sheffield United.

Le Bris will know they're going to require substantially more than talented individuals with significantly high ceilings, but there are characters in the dressing room who will embrace the brutal reality of the Premier League.

One character in particular who has been on Sunderland's journey from League One abyss to the promised land is Luke O'Nien. Formerly of Wycombe Wanderers, O'Nien has been a constant in the Black Cats' ascent; if anyone was deserving of celebrating this moment, it was the defender.

O'Nien is the type of individual to ruffle a few feathers next season, and Sunderland will be eager to buck the trend of promoted clubs falling straight back through the trap door.

Sunderland - as stated in their club values - are proving bold, creative and industrious.

They're an evolving force and even if they do not carry the same weight as their former Premier League years, the league is far more attractive with them in it.

Jaquob Crooke

• Sunderland A.F.C.
• Premier League
• Championship
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