Dennis Cirkin has dedicated his first senior goal to his late father, after scoring Sunderland's winner against Wigan Athletic at the weekend. Cirkin lost his father early last year, before his summer move from Spurs to Sunderland, and it affected him deeply and meant he needed to take some time out from football.
And when he headed his goal at the Stadium of Light to complete the Black Cats' comeback after having fallen behind in the first half, he pointed to the skies in celebration. "I prefer not to go into too many details because I don't want anyone to sympathise with me but certainly the experience has shaped who I am," said the 20-year-old left-back.
"I think it has made me stronger mentally, I went through a very tough period in my life and that shaped me as a person, it made me think about things a lot more, who I am, what I want to do, where I want to be, where my Dad would want me to go. Every day, I keep remembering him, recalling what he said to me and especially on Saturday.
