Sunderland 3 Southend United 0
Malcolm Dawson writes……don’t be deceived. This was no walk in the park, though we did finish the game as comfortable winners.
More comfortable than the Sunderland supporter who appeared on Friday’s edition of Mastermind, anyway. If you didn’t see it and want to catch up on the i-player I won’t spoil it for you but I managed to get 11 of the specialised questions right to his 12 and beat him on the General Knowledge round, though admittedly I was sat at home with a brew and not in the “chair of doom” with a spotlight and a studio audience focused on me.
Kevin Ball
SAFC London Branch welcomes Bains, Ball and Moyes pre-Palace
Malcolm Dawson writes…..what with M Salut galavanting around the Orient and me having body parts and invasive extras removed in …
Sunderland out West: the sweetest hangover I just can’t get over
Malcolm Dawson writes…..we were expecting a match report sometime on Thursday but time differences being what they are, not much …
Way out West: New World sympathies
Malcolm Dawson writes…..we at Salut! Sunderland are forever grateful for the input of members of SAFC NASA as The Lads …
It’s The Hope They Couldn’t Stand: that elusive Kevin Ball epic

Our own Nic Wiseman, who has been helping out on editing for a few months, was co-editor of one of those fanzines that deserved to prosper but didn’t. Salut! Sunderland reproduced highlights in a half-decent series, but one key item was missing – a piece about Kevin Ball that initially had the man himself feeling rather cross before peace was made. Nic has located that article. Let him introduce and then reproduce it, as well as plugging a new site all Sunderland fans should visit: https://ithics1.wordpress.com/ …
Sixer Says: Sunderland triumph over Newcastle again
Sixer Says: Sunderland held as Stoke young ‘uns play the Pulis way

On his night of fame – a cameo in a BBC programme about the Northern League that fell some way short of the Andy Warhol four-minute test – Pete Sixsmith found himself dodging paparazzi and autograph seekers at Eppleton for a youth development squad match against Stoke City …
He’s served Sunderland well but is it time for Kevin Ball to leave?

John McCormick is among Kevin Ball’s admirers. But, as Gus Poyet sets about the mammoth task of saving Sunderland AFC from relegation and Ellis Short ponders the club structure from top to bottom, he argues that the time may have come for Bally to move on. Not everyone will agree …
Sixer’s Man Utd Soapbox: De Gea de difference

Malcolm Dawson writes…in all honesty I’m not sure many of us in our heart of hearts expected a win but as always most of us will have wished for a performance that would produce an upset. We always go in hope, even when we don’t go in expectation and for a while on Saturday, it looked as if our hopes and dreams just might come true. It was a gutsy first half followed by the down to earth reality which is part and parcel of being a Sunderland fan. As usual Peter Sixsmith was perched on his eyrie, high in the East Stand and as usual he brings us his version of events on the pitch.
Bally’s Backchat: everything in terms of effort vs Manchester United
John McCormick writes: I was expecting the weekend off but M Salut has sent an e-mail asking if I can …