Former Sunderland defender Stephen Caldwell believes the Black Cats are going about things in the right manner after an impressive win over near rivals Middlesbrough. Michael Carrick's side were one of the in-form teams in the Championship ahead of the Wear-Tees derby, but it was Sunderland who took the game by the scruff of the neck.
A penalty from Ross Stewart gave Sunderland the lead and saw Boro go down to ten-men, with Amad Diallo adding a second in the dying stages of the game. There could be little argument for Tony Mowbray's side coming away with all three points after a dominant display.
Very few would have had the Black Cats down as play-off hopefuls after a four-year absence from the Championship, but the Wearsiders have been more than a match for every side in the division. Caldwell was quick to praise the way the club has rebuilt itself after such a long time away from the second tier.
READ MORE: Sunderland 2-0 Middlesbrough: Highlights and reaction as Black Cats see off ten-man Boro
"I think you always want to get out of the Championship back to the Premier League, but I don't think this club is in a hurry," Caldwell told Sky Sports. "I think they want to do things properly.
"If they get there, they want to make sure they have a chance of staying there, which is not so easy. But, I think they're building right. They're trying to promoted the youth, they're doing what's needed at a club like Sunderland.
"You've got to get the supporters involved at Sunderland, you need to get the supporters excited about the project and the plan. Obviously competing after coming up from League One and promotion from League One, it's a big thing to solidify that.
"If they've got a wee chance of the play-offs at the end I think they'll be delighted they're in the hunt. They have to improve this home forma little bit, they've got the players.
"They're exciting to watch, they've got a bit of pace, they've got real creativity up top and that makes them really dangerous and a side that can beat anybody."
Former Middlesbrough defender Bamba said: "Absolutely, they're in the mix. The last couple of results haven't been great for them but you know, for a promoted team to do so well, I think we have to give them credit.
"They're in the mix and I think if they carry on like that then they should be in the top-six."
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