"Consolidation was on everyone's mind, but we've smashed that." Homegrown hero Anthony Patterson admits he can hardly believe how well Sunderland's return to the Championship has gone.
This was supposed to be a season of adjustment and adaptation after the club last year finally scrambled out of League One at the fourth attempt, finishing fifth in the third tier and earning promotion via the play-offs. And yet Sunderland head to Preston North End for the final game of the season on Monday with a chance - and a realistic chance at that - of securing another top six finish and a crack at back-to-back promotions.
For a club that suffered back-to-back relegations to plummet from the Premier League to League One in the space of just two seasons, the prospect of making the return journey via successive promotions is a scenario that no-one could have predicted. At this stage, that remains a long-shot - not least because Sunderland need not only to beat Preston but also rely on a helping hand if they are to earn a play-off spot, either by Middlesbrough winning against Coventry City or Millwall dropping points against Blackburn Rovers.
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But whatever the outcome on the final day, this will still go down as a triumphant return to the Championship for Sunderland. "It's gone so much better than anyone could have hoped," said 22-year-old goalkeeper Patterson.
"If you look over the course of the season, the injuries we've had, playing with no proper centre-halves at the minute, Rossco [star striker Ross Stewart] has missed the majority of the season, yet we are still in with a chance going into the last day which is really impressive. I don't think anyone could have imagined last summer that we'd be in this situation.
"I think consolidation was what was on everyone's mind, even if they didn't say it out loud, but we've smashed that and hopefully we can do enough to get in the top six."
Patterson has played a key role in Sunderland's rise over the last 15 months. He was recalled from a loan spell in the National League with Notts County in January last year when Sunderland's two senior goalkeepers, on-loan Bayern Munich man Thorben Hoffmann and his deputy Lee Burge, both contracted Covid.
But in the second half of the season he established himself as first-choice on merit, helping the club win promotion at Wembley. The chance of taking part in another play-off final is a tempting proposition but Patterson knows better than to look too far into the future.
The academy graduate smiled: "That would be amazing, but we can't afford to look too far ahead because we've got a big game coming up on Monday. But it was a great occasion to play at Wembley in the play-off final last season and win promotion there - it would be incredible to have the chance to do it again."
For now, that game at Preston is the immediate hurdle that must be cleared; if Sunderland do not win at Deepdale, they cannot finish in the play-offs. "It's going to be some finish," said Patterson.
"We know what we need to do - we just have to win and hope that everything else takes care of itself. We can't do anything about Coventry and Millwall and Blackburn and West Brom, we just have to do our bit, win at Preston and hope that the other things fall into place.
"We have to do our job and then when the full-time whistle goes we can look at the other results and see if we've made it into the top six."
Sunderland fans have enjoyed the brand of attractive, attacking, football that their team has played under Tony Mowbray this season, with players such as on-loan Manchester United forward Amad, wingers Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts, and attacking midfielder Alex Pritchard, providing the creative spark. And, despite their lack of a centre-forward for the majority of the season, they are the fourth-highest scorers in the division.
"You never know for sure what could have happened if it wasn't for the injuries but we've done the best we can with what we've got," said Patterson. "We've scored so many great team goals, playing good football.
"We've used a lot of players in different positions which shows the versatility of the young players we've got, and that's always a plus. The team has got a really good identity, we like to get the ball down and pass it about - that's the kind of players we have, clever, technical players.
"When we get the ball to them, they make things happen. They want to play and they want to excite the fans and make sure they are enjoying it as much as we are on the pitch."
Patterson's performances this season have not gone unnoticed, with a call-up for England U21s coming last month. He did not feature in either of the Young Lions friendly games against France or Croatia, but he is still eligible for this summer's Euro U21 Championships in Romania and Georgia.
He said: "It was a great experience to be part of the set-up, working with the best U21 players in the country. I didn't get any gametime but I was still able to train with them and to be in that kind of environment was a great experience.
"I just about still qualify for the age limit for the U21 Euros this summer and it would be an amazing experience to be involved in that, if it happens. It'd ruin my holidays, but I don't mind that!
"I just have to perform as best I can in whatever games we have left and wait and see if I'm called up."
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