Sunderland's win at Bristol City has transformed what could have been an 'average to poor' start into a 'really good' beginning to life back in the Championship, according to Alex Neil. The Black Cats are unbeaten in both their games since returning to the second tier, following last weekend's home draw against Coventry City with a victory against the Robins at Ashton Gate yesterday.
Two goals from on-loan Everton striker Ellis Simms on his debut and a first Championship goal for Ross Stewart gave Sunderland a 3-2 win against City, leaving them second in the table - although at this early stage of proceedings, no-one will be getting carried away by that lofty league position. More important was the fact that Sunderland have notched their first win early, and have done so on the road, proving that they can compete in this division.
And for boss Neil, it means that his side has got off to an impressive start. "What I said to the players before the game was that this is one of those games where, if you don't win it, people will look and say this is probably an average to poor start," he said.
