Dan Neil believes he is finally finding his feet in the Championship after helping Sunderland to promotion from League One in his breakthrough season. Homegrown midfielder Neil was one of the stars of the Black Cats' successful play-off winning campaign which saw them climb out of the third tier at the fourth attempt.
But making the step up to the Championship involves a steep learning curve, and Neil - like many of Sunderland's younger players - needed time to adjust. Over the last month, however, he has proved he can make the grade at this level and has started to come into his own once more.
"I feel like I'm on a good run at the minute over the Christmas period and I've started to find my feet a bit in this division," said the 21-year-old academy graduate, following Sunderland's 2-0 home win against Middlesbrough at the weekend. "It's really good to be part of a team playing with confidence.
