August 18, 2001, saw Sunderland kick off their Premier League campaign in style with a 1-0 victory at home to Ipswich Town. Peter Reid’s side were fresh from a seventh-place finish in the previous campaign, narrowly missing out on a UEFA Cup spot, and there was genuine optimism that they could push on again.
Over the summer, Reid had sought to bolster his squad with some big-money improvements. Lilian Laslandes (£3.6 million), Nicolas Medina (£3.5 million) and Bernt Haas (£750,000) all arrived, although none of them would ultimately leave a significant mark on Wearside. Free transfers David Bellion and Baki Mercimek also increased the options available to Reid.
Reid handed debuts to both Laslandes and Haas on the opening day, but it was Sunderland’s talismanic top scorer Kevin Phillips who scored the only goal of the game.
The Ipswich team that day featured Marcus Stewart, Chris Makin and Titus Bramble, and it was Bramble who, during a tight first half that Sunderland had the better of, hauled Kevin Kilbane to the floor, resulting in a penalty to Sunderland.
Super Kev stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to make it 1-0 to the Lads.
The Ipswich report of the day suggests Kilbane made the most of the challenge, but I was there and, in my opinion, Graham Poll had no option but to point to the spot.
Tommy Sorensen had to make a couple of saves in the first half, but nothing that he wouldn’t usually have had a problem with. Sunderland looked comfortable for long spells and, with Phillips leading the line, there was always a feeling that another opportunity might arrive.
In the second half, our physicality won the day. Makin was booked for a foul on his best mate Mickey Gray, Stewart chopped Stefan Schwarz, and Finidi George tried to fight Gavin McCann. Good luck with that, Finidi.
There was plenty of competitive spirit in the game, but Sunderland managed to keep Ipswich at arm’s length for the most part. The visitors pushed for an equaliser, but Reid’s side defended their lead and looked increasingly comfortable as the afternoon wore on.
Niall Quinn had replaced Laslandes on 71 minutes, and Alex Rae came on for Julio Arca with five minutes left. Quinn had a great opportunity to cement the victory in the last few minutes, but put his header well off target.
Nevertheless, Sunderland held on to secure three valuable points and give the supporters plenty of reason to be optimistic about the season ahead.
Unfortunately, the home victory on opening day proved to be something of a false dawn. The previous two seasons of seventh-place finishes had given us hope of another similar campaign, but it wasn’t to be.
Sunderland would survive the drop in 17th with 40 points, at the expense of Ipswich in 18th on 36 points. It was an uncomfortable campaign at times, but the club did just enough to preserve its Premier League status.
That was at least in part due to the signings made later in the season, when we brought in John McAteer and Claudio Reyna. Their arrival provided some much-needed quality and experience as Reid looked to steer Sunderland away from danger.
So, while that August afternoon offered the perfect start, it ultimately proved to be a warning of what was to come. Sunderland had the players, the experience and the pedigree to expect more, but the 2001/02 season would become a battle for survival rather than another assault on the upper reaches of the Premier League.
Still, for one sunny afternoon at the Stadium of Light, everything felt right. Kevin Phillips had scored, Sunderland had won, and the optimism of a new season was very much alive.