"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.
