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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? SUNDERLAND 3-0 WOLVES
Last time out in The Championship, on the last day of a miserable season where we were relegated for the second year in a row, we entertained Champions elect, Wolverhampton Wanderers who were still in pursuit of 100 points. Naturally we turned in one of our best performances of the season and won 3-0, ensuring that we were the only team that Wolves didn’t beat throughout the campaign, in fact they didn’t even manage to score against us in 180 minutes of football. The team that day was a right motley crew of old timers on their way
out and youngsters getting their first taste of senior football. So, let’s cast our minds back to May 2018, and remember some of true horrors who represented our football club.
JASON STEELE
Our 2017-18 squad was so bad that this article should come with a trigger warning, so it is perhaps fitting that we start with the goalkeeper who still gives me nightmares to this day. In the summer of 2017, the lads had a paltry transfer budget and chose to spend £250k of it on the former ‘Boro stopper. On the infamous Sunderland Til I Die documentary, Steele stated that he took defeat personally and didn’t speak to his family afterwards due to his frustration. I’m not saying things didn’t go according to plan for the ‘keeper but throughout
the season he must have been an elective mute around the house. Unbelievably, following our relegation Jason Steele somehow signed for Premier League outfit Brighton and Hove Albion where he remains to this day.
ADAM MATTHEWS
Prior to the 2017-18 season Matthews had become something of a forgotten man on Wearside after being farmed out on loan to Bristol City during the 2016-17 campaign. Matthews remained at the club after our relegation to League One, where he played regularly throughout the 2018-19 season. After missing out on promotion via the play offs, Matthews joined our nemesis, Charlton Athletic. He now plays in the Cypriot First Division for Omonia, managed by his old employer, Neil Lennon.
JOHN O’SHEA
Despite his Sunderland career ending in double relegation, he was a great servant to the football club over the years. He left Sunderland in the summer of 2018 to join Reading and retired a year later to take up the post of first team coach. The Irishman is now assistant manager to Ireland Under 21s manager, Jim Crawford.
MARC WILSON
A very forgettable player, Wilson joined Bolton Wanderers following release by Sunderland, where he lasted only a season. After some time as a free agent, Wilson joined a couple of unknown Icelandic sides. Another lad who
had a great quotable from Netflix where he stated that he had an injury which ‘only hurt when I strike the ball’ during his medical.
BRYAN OVIEDO
Oviedo was widely expected to be one of the first out of the door when we were relegated for the second time in two seasons, but he hung around for another generally underwhelming year in League One. In 2019 he joined FC Copenhagen but played just 33 games across three seasons and has recently been released by them.
ETHAN ROBSON
Local lad Ethan Robson had had an encouraging
end to the 2017-18 season but found first team opportunities limited at Sunderland. He was subsequently loaned out to Dundee and Grimsby before joining Blackpool on a permanent basis in 2020 and, after gaining promotion with The Seasiders in 2021 he was loaned out to MK Dons and has recently joined them on a permanent deal.
PADDY MCNAIR
Under Chris Coleman, McNair was temporarily transformed from a steady holding midfielder to something of a prolific goal scorer. The Northern Irishman rounded off the scoring and his Sunderland career with a tidy finish against Wolves and joined Middlesbrough in the summer of 2018 where he remains to this day.
OVE EJARIA
Dubbed the ‘English Pogba’ before his arrival at Sunderland, Ejaria endured a frustrating time on Wearside. He clearly had plenty of talent but was understandably raw during his first ever taste of senior football. Following his loan spell, further temporary switches to Rangers and Reading followed before signing for the Royals permanently.
LUKE MOLYNEUX
Bishop Auckland born, Molyneux made his league debut in this game and remained on the fringes of the Sunderland squad in the first half of 2018-19 season.
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