On This Day (10 January 1998): Sunderland come out on top of crucial Sheffield United test!

Today at 01:00 AM

A brilliant game at the Stadium of Light saw Sunderland prove our promotion credentials.

After the disappointment of relegation in 1997, Sunderland's championship campaign had taken a little while to get going – but once we did get going, we were really on a roll.

Since the 'Nightmare at Elm Park' we'd gone 14 league games unbeaten, winning eight of them – a run that lifted us from 12th position to 5th.

After steamrollering Rotherham 5-1 in the FA Cup at Millmoor, we returned to the Stadium of Light to face Sheffield United, who were third in the table behind Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough.

Forest and Boro were eight points ahead of Sunderland, and Sheffield United two points ahead – meaning a win would lift the lads above the Blades.

The run Sunderland were on had attracted the crowds back to the Stadium of Light – the mid-20k attendances in late October had, post-Christmas, been replaced by our first 40,000-plus crowd since 1980, and the feel-good factor that it had been hoped the Stadium of Light would bring had – belatedly arrived. And Peter Reid was thankful for the support.

I'm beginning to run out of words to explain what our fans are like.

The attendances are just tremendous and I know they're a big boost to my players.

Sheffield United, managed by Nigel Spackman and prompted in midfield by Don Hutchison – who was on something of a redemption arc after his early career move to Liverpool went sour (don't mention Budweiser) – had beaten the lads 2-0 on the season's opening day, and Reidy knew it would be a tough test, albeit one he felt his team was more than capable of meeting.

They're a very strong team who can score goals and it's going to be difficult for us.

I thought in the game at the beginning of the season that we had plenty of possession but didn't really hurt them enough.

For the first time I came to the club I can see us scoring goals every game. When we are getting forward we are getting through or getting crosses in and always look likely to get goals.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to work out why things had clicked. The return to fitness of Niall Quinn – whose partnership with Kevin Phillips had exploded into life – was key. So too, however, was the signing of Nicky Summerbee six weeks earlier. Summerbee had quickly established himself on the right of midfield, enabling Allan Johnston to switch to the left to replace Michael Gray, who'd been forced back to cover the injured Martin Scott.

Scott was one of Reid's favourites, and his injury was a sliding doors moment for Johnston, Reid and Gray, as if he'd remained fit he'd undoubtedly have been our left back.

Reid named an unchanged side for the ninth successive game, and a charged atmosphere welcomed the teams to the field, with Sunderland defending the North Stand.

Both sides had early half chances. Phillips, with 11 goals in his last 10, tested Alan Kelly from 20 yards, and the Irish keeper saved from countryman Quinn following Darren Holloway's deep cross. At the other end, Dean Saunders went close after blocking Lionel Perez's attempted clearance.

After seeing a couple of home chances go unconverted, the crowd had quickly become nervously subdued, and fears were realised just after the quarter of an hour when Saunders scored from strike partner Brian Deane's knockdown.

This prompted the crowd and Sunderland back into action. Phillips forced another save from Kelly, while penalty shouts for a handball against Holdsworth went unrewarded before Quinn scored a lovely goal.

A deep Summerbee corner from the right was chested down by Quinn, who struck a lovely volley over Kelly for the equaliser. Sunderland had been behind for less than five minutes.

Sheffield United immediately came back. Perez was forced into a save from Saunders, while at the other end the Summerbee-Quinn-Phillips holy trinity was at it again, setting up the former Watford man who hit the bar before lashing the rebound over.

Sunderland were controlling possession but United looked dangerous on the break. Another penalty shout for Sunderland was turned down, while the excellent Lee Clark had a shot from distance saved by Kelly just before the halftime whistle.

The second half continued where the first had left off, with Alex Rae controlling the midfield; Hutchison earned a booking after letting frustration got the better of him after his fellow Scot jinked past him once again.

Holloway's cross was inches away from Quinn, while a last-ditch tackle from Darren Williams prevented Saunders from retaking the lead for Sheffield United. Craddock blocked well from Graham Stuart while a Rae diving header cleared further danger.

At the other end, Gray and Johnson both rained crosses into the opposition box, from one, Quinn's powerful shot beat Kelly but was headed off the line by Holdsworth. Quinn and Philips both went close again, but on 66 a breakthrough was finally made – and it went in Sunderland's favour.

Rae took possession in the centre of the field, drove forward and laid the ball into Quinn on the edge of the box. Quinn held it up, and lobbed the ball back into the direction of the on-running Rae, who powered it home low in to the bottom left corner.

Sunderland had the momentum now, and a minute later Quinn was through one on one from Summerbee's long pass, but couldn't get the ball past Kelly, while Phillips' header just looked over.

Sunderland continued to attack and looked for a third that would surely put the game to bed. Sheffield United were hanging on for dear life, and in the final ten minutes, we got our reward – Phillips deflecting Clark's goal-bound shot home. It's one that would have caused a few words in the dressing room, but Phillips' hunger for goals was impressive and he evidently wanted to keep his run going!

The lads thought that was it, but Sheffield had other ideas – we let them score pretty much from kick off, with Gareth Taylor slotting past Perez.

In a frantic last period, Saunders elbowed Rae, causing the Scot to require treatment, and Sheffield threw bodies forward in search of an equaliser. Sunderland held firm, and sealed the game in the 90th minute with a Phillips header from a Clark cross. Phillips could have had a hat-trick seconds later, with Kelly saving well, but that didn't matter.

It was a huge result, and a massive statement – Sunderland were well and truly in the promotion race.