Sunderland head to Bury on Tuesday night knowing their Premier League destiny
now lies solely in their own hands after stretching their unbeaten league run to
12 matches.
There's no ifs ands and buts any more because it just comes down to one simple
fact and that is a victory at Gigg Lane will ensure Peter Reid's side are back
in the big time.
Sunderland had the chance to wrap up promotion today, clinching with it the
lucrative pot of gold which for them lies at the end of what has been a long
Nationwide League rainbow.
Sunderland needed a victory against a Huddersfield side going into the game
without a win in their last six matches and that was never in doubt once Niall
Quinn grabbed his 19th goal of the season just before the half-hour, with Allan
Johnston adding a second four minutes from the break.
But Reid's men also needed Bradford, the only team along with Ipswich who
could possibly overhaul the Wearsiders, to lose at home to relegation strugglers
Portsmouth.
Paul Jewell's side, however, were always one step ahead of the game in that
opening 45 minutes with news filtering through of their two first-half goals
moments before Sunderland's strikes.
But this was as comfortable as it gets for Sunderland, who were rarely
troubled against Peter Jackson's outfit who blew their hopes of a play-off place
long before this result.
Coming into the game on the back of two defeats and four draws, the sting had
already been drawn out of Huddersfield, which showed, allowing Sunderland to
take full advantage.
Ian Lawson did have a crack at making it three goals in his last three matches
following the first of Paul Butler's nearly two fatal mistakes, but keeper
Thomas Sorensen was at full-stretch to tip wide of his right-hand post in the
17th minute.
It was a rare sojourn into the Wearsiders half for Town during a first-half in
which Reid's side dominated for long spells, with the two goals merited, even if
the first was a touch fortunate.
Lee Clark did brilliantly to pick out an awaiting Quinn on the edge of the
area after skipping past Lee Richardson's challenge down the right wing. Quinn
chested it down and in one movement struck a sweet right-foot shot which keeper
Nico Vaesen seemed to have saved superbly, but the ball - almost as if in
slow-motion - eventually trickled over the line to the delight of another 41,000
Stadium of Light crowd.
The Republic of Ireland international should have had a hat-trick in the seven
minutes which followed, but a diving header flashed wide, while another
right-foot effort was drilled across the face of goal.
It was left to Johnston to wrap up the win for the runaway First Division
leaders, finishing off what proved to be the move of the game.
This time Nicky Summerbee provided the cross deep from the right with Kevin
Phillips knocking the ball back for Johnston to drill a first-time right-foot
shot beyond Vaesen for his eight of the season.
It led to the second-half being a virtual non-event, with Town's best chance
coming from Butler's second error, but Marcus Stewart's 15-yard half-volley was
smothered by Sorensen.
Opposite number Vaesen then prevented a one-sided look to the scoreline late
on, making four magnificent saves to deny Phillips three times and Andy
Melville.
Perhaps the only down side for Sunderland with this result was that they
failed to wrap up promotion in front of their adoring fans instead of what will
be around just 3,000 at Bury.
Teams
Sunderland: Sorensen, Makin, Gray, Ball (Holloway 70), Melville,
Butler, Summerbee (Bridges 70), Clark, Quinn (Dichio 70),Phillips, Johnston.
Goals: Quinn 28, Johnston 41.
Huddersfield: Vaesen, Jenkins, Vincent, Richardson (Hessey 81),
Armstrong, Collins, Baldry, Edwards, Stewart, Allison, Lawson (Thornley 81).
Subs Not Used: Hamilton.
Att: 41,074.
Ref: B Burns (Scarborough).
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