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By Martin Emmerson of BBC Radio Newcastle*

Here are our promotions in full – given that we had never needed one before our first relegation from the top flight in 1958

1963-64 Promoted under Alan Brown who then left that summer to join Sheffield Wednesday.

1975-76 Went up under Bob Stokoe as champions after six seasons down.

1979-80 Up under Ken Knighton. Unbeaten in last 14 games.

1987-88 Up from Third Division under Denis Smith after one year down – as champions.

1989-90 Went up under Smith again after losing play-off final to Swindon, who were denied promotion for financial irregularities.

1995-96 Up under Peter Reid for the first time – as champions!

1998-99 Reidy again – as champions – with a record 105 points – two seasons after relegation.

2004-05 Up under Mick McCarthy as champions two season after relegation.

2006-07 Up already, and can they finish as champions yet again? All to be decided on Sunday: Sunderland away to relegated Luton, Birmingham at Preston, who need a win for the play-offs.

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There has always been a place in my heart for Liverpool. Even when Gary McAllister stole that penalty, by launching himself into a dive from what seemed closer to the halfway line than to our penalty box, my affection for his then club survived.

Do not misunderstand me. There is no room for a second club in my life. Despite living in France, where such things are supposed to happen, I would never take a mistress; supporting anyone other than Sunderland, however slightly, would seem similarly disloyal.

So it’s a liking, not proper support.

I could say it was a reflection of my failure as a father – my younger daughter, Nathalie, herself a highly useful player, has been a Liverpool fan since she fell in love with John Barnes – but that wouldn’t be true; I have felt as I do since boyhood.

In any game that does not involve or affect us, I am happy to see Liverpool win. I like the city, I enjoy the company of the fans, I love their song.

Last night, I had French TV on my side. TF1’s commentary from Anfield was fair enough, but you had no doubt which team they wanted to win. L’Equipe this morning headlined one of its match reports “Red Magic” and enthused about the “exceptional atmosphere” in which Liverpool battled against Chelsea and won.

And there’s the other reason I was so pleased when José-Manuel Reina made his penalty shoot-out saves. The Reds were playing Chelsea.

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There has been an interesting “Do we like Sunderland or is it just because of Keano?” debate running at the Irish football site eleven-a-side.com which some of you will have seen.

derry.che keano.2006.jpg
Originally uploaded by jimfitzpix.

A quick scroll down the comments field left me with the impression that the present, growing level of Irish support is not destined to last.

There are plenty of people with soft spots, a smattering of SAFC fans weighing in but also a good deal of candid admission that once Roy Keane moves on “to a bigger club”, “allegiance” to the Lads will instantly be dropped.

Let’s leave aside the phrase “bigger club”. I think they mean Man Utd, though most of us would naturally question either the adjective or the noun (bigger brand would work fine and raise no eyebrows here).

But we are all pretty realistic about Keane’s commitment. He’ll cut his managerial teeth with us – has done – and try to make something of our return to the Premiership. And eventually, the heart and size of the job will probably lure him back to Old Trafford. I have more respect for him to believe it will be any worse than that, but have no idea when it will happen

That doesn’t mean we should resent the fair weather Irish folk who support us now……..

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Salut! Sunderland is en fecirc;te – and the celebrations started with a feast of goals, excitement and nerves, culminating in this……

That was followed – at long last, as has been mentioned here and elsewhere – by some good coming out of Selhurst Park.

Many of us remember with gritted teeth that awful day a year after the first promotion under Peter Reid when a gutsy but desperately limited performance – against Wimbledon, then sharing the ground – saw us relegated once more.

It was a dreadful disappointment, at the end of a dreadful season when utter lack of ambition had it logical consequences. Fast forward to 2004 and the slightly unlucky 3-2 defeat in the playoffs – to be followed by elimination at the Stadium of Light in the second leg, thanks to an appalling refereeing decision that took the tie to penalties.

Yesterday, luck was on our side when Palace scored what seems to have been a comfortable 2-0 win over Derby, removing the need for us to win at Luton next Sunday.

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By Joan Dawson

If we win tonight and Derby lose or draw on Sunday, then we’re promoted.

Naturally, if that happens, we’ll all be celebrating wherever we are.

But none of us will be in the stadium with 40+ thousand fellow supporters, the players, the manager.

We’ll be at home, in pubs, walking the dog, at work with the radio, or if you’re Roy Keane, in the cinema with your kids.

In re-arranging games, television is robbing supporters of some of the most exciting moments they can have.

Regular Saturday afternoons are bad enough because most of the time, even though you know your own result, you don’t know how it affects your league position, and we rarely now get the chance to cheer a N**c**tle defeat.

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Salut! Sunderland is happy to congratulate Nyron Nosworthy on his “player of the season” award from fans voting on the official club website*.

Last season, I was among those who questioned the scale of our ambition when all the way from Gillingham, NN was introduced as one of Mick McCarthy’s signings for the ill-fated return to the Premiership.

He was occasionally useful going forward but always seemed awkward on the ball and crossed appallingly. The transformation has been astounding. Whenever I have seen him this season, he has been rock solid.

On the flank, he embarked on runs that threatened to inflict – and often inflicted – real damage on the opposition. And in the centre, he has been an utterly key figure in our unbeaten run.

He has quite rightly established himself as a great crowd pleaser. And his attitude and commitment, plus an ability to overcome question marks on skill with sheer graft and courage, remind me of another: Kevin Ball.

Speaking of Ball, I should pass on one embarrassing – for me – anecdote on the occasion of the sad passing of his part-namesake Alan, a fine servant of the game at all levels.

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*

By Pete Sixsmith

My negative vibes about this one began on the Friday afternoon.

After preaching confidence for weeks, really believing that we would not lose another game, I was hit by something on Friday and had a troubled night before getting up at 4.45am to catch the coach at 6.15.

I had been to Layer Road once before, to watch a reserve game one August afternoon when Durham’s game against Essex had been washed away.

Colchester were in League 2 then and on the verge of bankruptcy; they survived by selling Lua Lua to the Mags.

Even then it was the worst ground I had been on for ages and Saturday showed things have not changed.

It’s small, tight and not very welcoming. The toilet facilities for the visitors were not good (one WC for women; one WC and a two space urinal for men) and there was not much room on the six steps that made up the visitors’ terrace.

However we could moan all day about the facilities but that’s not what the game is about – it’s about performing on the pitch and boy did they – Colchester – perform.

* Poor quality but maybe that’s just as well…since it shows their penalty sealing our fate

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Roy Keane said it to the press. I said it in a text to a disconsolate Pete Sixsmith on his way home from Colchester. And not even today’s awful result from Molineux – Birmingham grabbing top spot back after coming from behind and surviving an injury time penalty to win 3-2 – changes it.

Whether we go up in one of the two automatic promotion places is still in the hands of the huddle to my left.

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By Joe Simpson, actor and lifelong Sunderland supporter
Today, the 19th of April 2007, is a special day for all Sunderland fans, a day to pause and think and remember a great moment in our history.

Yes, as I’m sure you are all aware, it is precisely 10 years to the day since Darren Williams scored the winner against some Yorkshire club from up the road who seem to think they are from the North East – 1-0 to the Sunderland and the smog monsters were virtually relegated. And it looked like we might be safe….well at least it did that day.

How do I remember this so clearly? Well it’s also my 10th wedding anniversary today and some things just seem to stick in your mind.

I not sure how many times Darren Williams has had a mention in a groom’s wedding speech but he did that day and, partly because of that, in my eyes Dazza could do no wrong.

* Picture: Courtesy A Love Supreme

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