Twelve months is certainly a long time in football. Flash back to May 10th last season and the dust was settling following a dramatic night at Hillsborough.
Sunderland had booked their place in the League One play-off final thanks to a brilliant moment of magic from Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts to edge through a nervy affair on aggregate. The Black Cats may have missed out on the automatic promotion spots by six points and the title by eight, but they were about to embark on their own rollercoaster of emotion that we all know the outcome of.
The Black Cats would lift the play-off title under the Wembley arch, firmly dispelling their hoodoo in front of supporters that stretched back to 1973, or indeed the year prior if you wish to include the behind closed doors Papa John's Trophy triumph. Very few would have predicted a year quite like the recent campaign.
