Callum Olusesi scored on his return from injury to end a memorable week in style and help us to a thrilling 3-2 win at Sunderland in our penultimate Premier League 2 fixture on Monday evening.
The young midfielder, who signed a new contract with the Club on 2 April, was back in action for the first time since January and steered us ahead shortly after half-time following an entertaining albeit goalless first half.
The home side responded well to restore parity through Felix Scott four minutes later and soon had the game turned on its head in 10 second-half minutes when the midfielder doubled his tally on the hour mark.
However, not wanting to end the campaign without a fight, an inspired second-half substitution saw Maxwell McKnight deny a certain goal at one end in his first action before supplying Oli Irow’s equaliser at the other just minutes later, with Yusuf Akhamrich clinching a late winner three minutes from time in a breathless encounter.
In our final away trip of the PL2 season at Sunderland’s Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground, coach Wayne Burnett’s side were boosted by the return of key player Olusesi to the starting XI who captained the team upon his comeback from an injury sustained in the same month he made his senior debut for the Club against Hoffenheim in the UEFA Europa League at the start of the year.
With us unable to qualify for the play-offs and the home side having already secured their place in the competition’s next stage, this was somewhat of a dead rubber in the context of our season but the contest was far from that given the competitiveness of both sides in an opening 45 minutes that somehow remained goalless.
And Sunderland largely had goalkeeper Kelechi Chibueze to thank for that. Having the better of the opportunities in the early exchanges - the impressive Damola Ajayi first firing into the side netting on 17 minutes before his dangerous low cross was somehow averted away from the expectant Leo Black - the Black Cats stopper produced cat-like reactions to somehow keep out Jaden Williams’ header from close range to deny us a deserved lead on 35 minutes.
The hosts had their chances, though. Scott, perhaps a warning of what was to come, saw his left-footed shot on the edge of the area diverted just wide by James Rowswell before Aaron Maguire was called into action to tip over Jack Whittaker’s cross-come-shot on the angle on the half-hour mark as an opening half that lacked goals but not entertainment drew to a close.
Given the way the first half played out, it felt like it was only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken and that duly came a minute following the restart when skipper Olusesi's week got even better with a goal on his return. Irow the architect, the attacker sending in a teasing in-swinger from the left flank, and the England youth international duly ghosted in unmarked at the back post to steer us ahead.
However, having led for just four minutes, it was Sunderland who restored parity when Scott was allowed to control and shoot unmarked in the centre of the area to send a low shot on the turn past Maguire. Despite seeing Black and Reiss Russell-Denny denied in quick succession by the inspired Chibueze a minute later, it was the home side who took the lead just past the hour mark through young midfielder Scott’s well struck finish into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Looking for some inspiration off the bench, Burnett made a double substitution midway through the second half as McKnight and Rio Kyerematen came on for Rowswell and Olusesi respectively. And that moment of motivation came just moments later. McKnight, in his first involvement since coming on, first produced a superb sliding block to prevent a certain goal before, two minutes later, he sprinted forward to support a fast counter-attack and did well to cut back for Irow to stroke in for 2-2.
After a flurry of activity, the encounter opened up in the closing stages and became end-to-end as both sides pushed for a late winner. That decisive moment arrived three minutes from time in the form of Akhamrich, the winger latching onto Kyerematen’s neat flick and showing composure to find the bottom corner to make it consecutive victories in the division before the finale at home to Everton next Monday evening.