Kevin Phillips blasted Sunderland back into the Premiership with a four-goal
blitz as the Wearsiders turned on the style against Bury at Gigg Lane.
Phillips struck from the penalty spot after just 10 minutes and then added two
more in a dazzling 23-minute burst as Peter Reid's side raced into a 4-1 lead.
Niall Quinn's 20th goal of the season, sandwiched in between Phillips' first
two, looked to have completed Sunderland's promotion campaign, and virtually
assured the Division One title as well, in front of 4,492 travelling supporters
in a crowd of 8,669.
But Phillips saved the best for last with a 90th-minute curler to wrap up an
emphatic victory.
For long periods, it was exhibition football with Phillips turning in a
virtuoso display, and Michael Gray and Lee Clark also in fine form.
But Bury played their part in an end to end game, and although they were left
to reflect on their growing relegation worries, they at least had superb goals
from Darren Bullock and Nick Daws to look back upon.
Sunderland arrived having had the champagne on ice for several weeks, but the
corks were popping, metaphorically at least, with barely a third of the game
gone.
Bury lined up needing three points just as badly as their opponents, although
for strikingly different reasons, and they appeared to be in no mood to
surrender their Division One status.
Midfielder Bullock had already fired a warning shot across Thomas Sorensen's
bows when Daws saw his own effort fly high over the bar in a lively start.
But once Sunderland lit the blue touch paper, all the home side could do was
admire the fireworks.
Winger Nicky Summerbee started the ball rolling with 10 minutes gone when
keeper Dean Kiely failed to hold his shot and defender Chris Swailes felled
Phillips as he prepared to finish.
Referee Frazer Stretton pointed to the spot, Phillips duly obliged with his
19th goal of the season and the party had begun.
Bullock's decision to gatecrash with a spectacular 20-yard equaliser 12
minutes later went down well with the home supporters, but they were still
celebrating when Swailes and Kiely collided in pursuit of Summerbee's right-wing
cross, and Quinn nudged back in front of his strike partner in the scoring
stakes.
Phillips had to wait only eight more minutes for number 20 when he pounced on
the rebound from Lee Clark's blocked shot and rammed the ball past Kiely.
And he completed his first hat-trick of the season two minutes later when
Allan Johnston's corner arrived at his feet inside the six-yard box and was
inevitably dispatched past the despairing keeper.
Bullock was denied a second 10 minutes from the break when Sorensen's redeemed
himself after fumbling Carl Serrant's free-kick to block his follow-up effort.
But Kiely spared his side's blushes three minutes later as he tipped
Johnston's shot away after the Scotland winger had carved his way into the
penalty area.
If Sunderland expected a procession after the break, they were to be
disappointed as Bury staged an unlikely fightback.
Initially, however, it was the visitors who threatened to add to their lead,
Quinn sending a 47th-minute header over the bar and Johnston having a good
appeal for a second penalty turned down.
But it was Gray, the man who had trudged forlornly from the pitch at Wembley
having missed the crucial spot-kick, who came closest, sending a right-foot shot
a foot wide of the post on the hour.
Reid made a treble substitution five minutes later when he sent on Danny
Dichio, Michael Bridges and Darren Holloway in place of Quinn, Johnston and
skipper Kevin Ball, but their arrival was greeted almost immediately by Daws
with a thundering left-foot volley which reduced the arrears.
Chris Billy forced Sorensen into a double save a minute later as Bury piled
forward, and Swailes was unfortunate to see his overhead kick come back off the
foot of the post as the champions elect rode their luck a little.
Bridges almost made it five 10 minutes from time with a curling right-foot
effort which was inches too high.
Phillips provided the coup de grace on the stroke of the whistle as he cut in
from the left and curled a right-foot shot into the top corner.
The red and white sections of the crowd had started their celebrations when
Phillips' penalty hit the back of the net, and with barely a lull, continued
them until the final whistle confirmed their return to the top flight.
Teams
Bury: Kiely, West, Serrant, Daws, Lucketti, Woodward, Swailes,
Lilley, D'Jaffo, Bullock, Billy.
Subs Not Used: Preece, Williams, Littlejohn.
Goals: Bullock 23, Daws 65.
Sunderland: Sorensen, Makin, Gray, Ball (Holloway 64), Melville,
Butler, Summerbee, Clark, Quinn (Bridges 64), Phillips,Johnston (Dichio 64).
Booked: Ball.
Goals: Phillips 10 pen, Quinn 24, Phillips 31, 33, 90.
Att: 8,669
Ref: F Stretton (Nottingham).Grimsby (0) 1 QPR (0) 0
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