Sunderland’s meeting with Stoke City on Saturday lunchtime saw one player really redeem himself in the eyes of the Black Cats supporters.
It has been a frustrating few weeks for Sunderland, with a run of five draws and one defeat in the last six games seeing them slip down the Championship table.
The game against Stoke was billed as a crucial match for Sunderland as they looked to get back on track, and they came away from the game with an important 2-1 win, all thanks to Tommy Watson’s heroics.
After falling behind early on, Sunderland fought back with an instant response through Watson’s first goal for the club.
From there, the Sunderland academy starlet continued to impress, and it seems Watson has redeemed himself after being branded ‘wasteful’ in recent weeks after stepping up with the match-winning goal late on.
Tommy Watson is Sunderland’s star boy vs Stoke City
It was a huge moment for Watson, who has made the step up to the first-team this season and has regularly shown glimpses of his potential without necessarily delivering the desired outcome.
That all changed against Stoke, and judging by supporters’ reactions on Twitter/X, we may have witnessed a real breakthrough performance for Watson now.
After seeing his goal go in, one fan described Watson as “a fantastic player,” while another branded the teenager Sunderland’s new “star boy.”
That first goal has been threatening to come for a while, and one fan applauded the strike, writing: “Some boy, what a finish.” Meanwhile, another supporter said: “I knew he wouldn’t disappoint once he was given the chance.”
Perhaps the highest praise was to compare Watson to a former Sunderland favourite, with one fan claiming the young winger is “literally a Jack Clarke regen.”
James Copley was clearly happy with Watson’s display, claiming he was “a joy to watch” against Stoke. Meanwhile, Michael Graham joked: “Thank goodness all those people telling us Tommy Watson wasn’t ready for the Championship a couple weeks ago don’t pick the team, eh?”
Fickle fans need to get behind Tommy Watson now
We know how quickly popular opinion can turn one way or the other in football, and it does feel as though Sunderland fans still aren’t quite sure what to make of Watson yet.
He’s come in for Romaine Mundle, a player Sunderland are sorely missing right now, but it’s harsh to compare him to his teammate.
Watson is a lot younger, and it’s clear that he is still a very raw talent who needs to work on his decision-making before he can become a more productive and clinical player.
| Statistic | Tommy Watson vs Stoke City |
|---|---|
| Goals | 2 |
| xG | 0.4 |
| Pass success | 81% |
| Key passes | 5 |
| Shots on target | 3 |
| Touches | 61 |
But, we’ve seen enough already to suggest that Watson definitely has what it takes to become a superstar at the Stadium of Light.
Now he’s got that first goal and, more importantly, that crucial winning goal today, the fans are behind him and Watson will have tonnes of confidence. The supporters just need to remain patient and allow Watson to flourish from here on out, and they will all reap the rewards for years to come.