https://www.linkedin.com/posts/leo-...d&rcm=ACoAAAzgFigBOWRfxlHUZlRlSCBD5O95Qm_xHJY
Leo Pearlman has posted on linkedin
It's hard to believe that one week ago, that game, that goal, was yet to happen. I wake up each morning & smile at the memories, watch highlights just to confirm it wasn't all a dream. After all, we’re Sunderland fans & the scars of the past run deep, cup finals & play offs, Wembley holds ghosts for us, forever now exorcised by May 24th 2025.
The first tears came early, 30 minutes before kick-off, when Wise Men Say echoed from 35k Sunderland voices. Club legends: Bobby Kerr, Marco, Super Kev, Niall, joined us in song, reminders of what Sunderland fans truly value, heart, commitment, spirit. Traits embodied like no other by club captain, Luke O'Nein & so many of this young team.
The first half was tough, evoking PTSD of past Wembley appearances, a moment too big for some, a game too far. Sheff United scored early, a second would not have been undeserved & the heartbreaking loss of our club captain to an early injury seemed to make our task unassailable.
In the 70th minute, Regis Le Bris, criticised for not affecting games, brought off local lads Neil & Rigg, gave Enzo & Paddy more freedom & everything changed. Patto made yet another heroic save, keeping us in it once again, Paddy Roberts slid a perfect ball to Mayenda, who smashed it into the roof of the net. 1-1, Wembley erupted, momentum had shifted, haway away away.
Trai Hume, player of the season, made THAT tackle on Brereton Diaz. A thunderous, old-school, Sunderland-style hit, invoking memories of Kay, Makin, Ball, Bennett et al. The roar from the crowd was as loud as a goal.
Then, in the 95th minute, came the fairytale. Tommy Watson, with what would be his final touch as a Sunderland player, did what every young fan dreams of doing, scoring the winner at Wembley for his boyhood club. From that second until the final whistle, it’s all a blur. I cried, an outpouring of emotion many years in the making. I cried with my boys, my cousins, my dad, with strangers. But we weren’t strangers, because we're family, we're Sunderland.
O'Nein lifting the trophy, arm in a sling, is my enduring memory, first on the pitch to celebrate with his teammates, last to leave after thanking the fans. This team had done it for him, for each other & for all of us.
But make no mistake, this isn’t just about a football team, it’s about our city, the city by the sea.
A blue-collar place built on shipyards & coal, where grit runs deeper than glamour & pride matters more than praise. We've been overlooked, underestimated, forgotten by many, but never by our own.
Sunderland is more than a dot on the map. It’s community, it’s family, it’s our life & the football club is our heartbeat. Last Saturday, it beat louder than ever, announcing to the world that we’re a city on the rise again. We didn’t just earn promotion, we told the world who we are: together, relentless, proud. A city that always believes.
We are Sunderland, we are back & the memories will last a lifetime.
Together. Forever. Til the end. Til we Die.
