Corry Evans has become an unsung hero for Sunderland under Alex Neil - with the Black Cats boss insisting the skipper's best work often goes under the radar. Northern Ireland international Evans has divided opinion amongst Sunderland fans, with many supporters questioning the midfielder's contribution since he joined last summer.
But, despite missing some games through injury, the 31-year-old has started more than half of Sunderland's league games this term, often as the experienced older head alongside youngsters such as Dan Neil or Jay Matete. And head coach Neil clearly values the qualities he brings in central midfield, pointing out that his positional awareness and ability to read the game means he is able to cut out counter-attacks at source.
Evans operates just in front of the back four and has helped the side keep five clean sheets in its last six outings - most recently in the 1-0 win against Gillingham at the Stadium of Light last weekend. "There are certain players who, for whatever reason, get a hard time at certain places," said Neil.
READ MORE: Sunderland ready for Oxford to 'throw caution to the wind' in crunch play-off clash
"I've walked into the building with no strings attached, with no previous exposure to anything that has gone on, and basically judged everything from what I have seen in front of me. And from what I've seen in front of me so far, Corry Evans has been very good for us.
"There have been a couple of games at home, and I'm not just levelling this at Corry, but we as a whole haven't moved the ball and been as good as we would have liked. But there have been certain games where he has performed very well.
"On Saturday, I thought he was excellent for us. What he did for us was, every time Gillingham tried to counter, he snuffed it out at source.
"Sometimes you don't see that as a supporter because when it is a structural issue, if you find yourself in the right place all the time you don't then need to work back and make the tackle, to cover ground and come across and take the ball off somebody because everytime they try to take the ball out, he just basically mops it up with ease and keeps recycling the ball."
Sunderland they take on play-off rivals Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium tomorrow, looking to move another step towards a top six finish. Neil believes that Evans' knowhow will be crucial in the run-in as the Black Cats fight to secure a play-off spot.
He said: "After the game at Lincoln, the point was made that Corry was always available for the ball when we were trying to play through that kind of deep block and play in to him, he was always there. They are the bits sometimes that go unnoticed, but that experience and knowhow at this stage of the season, with the external pressure that is on our team, sometimes that calming influence is really, really, important in these key games."
For the latest Sunderland news direct to your inbox, go here to sign up to our free newsletter
