Even as Sunderland found themselves 2-0 down early on at Swansea City – staring down the barrel of another winless Championship encounter – Regis Le Bris’ belief never wavered.
That was not a feeling shared by too many in the away end, however.
Following a run of one win in seven league matches – Sunderland going from five points clear at the top to playing catch up in the space of only a few weeks – the Black Cats’ promotion prospects appeared to be dwindling pretty dramatically in South Wales.
Zan Vipotnik opened the scoring with just five minutes on the clock, Liam Cullen adding a second in the 17th. And while Dan Ballard did pull one back soon after, that appeared something of a false dawn as Swansea kept Sunderland at arms’ length until the game’s dying stages.
Until Dan Neil – Sunderland fans lauding a captain ‘back to his best’ – lashed in a 25-yard stunner to break the hosts’ resolve. Until Jobe Bellingham completed the turnaround mere moments later, tucking home from a Chris Rigg cross.
Regis Le Bris delighted as Sunderland fight back to beat Swansea City
“I think we deserved to win, even if we started in the worst way possible,” Le Bris tells the media at full-time. “I was confident because I thought we had good qualities a good gameplan. It was a question of character and belief in our qualities, in our way of playing.
“[The way we fought back] was a good sign because, the last five, six, seven games, sometimes we were dominant but we didn’t score or win.
“Today, we showed this character is something we have in our team, and its important for the future.”
This is the Sunderland’s second comeback in the space of four days, the Black Cats using up a few of their lives in the process.
After Patrick Roberts rescued Sunderland against Bristol City in midweek, Le Bris admitted he wanted to see a team with the requisite ‘desire’, ‘impetus’ and ruthlessness to end a poor run of results.
The Frenchman certainly got that at Swansea. And, as Neil, Bellingham and Rigg all contributed brilliantly to that second-half turnaround, Le Bris’ enduring faith in Sunderland’s crop of baby-faced starlets was justified in style.
“I think we are building foundations. Sometimes, we deserve to win but if you have a lack of clinical finishing… It”s like a new house, you have to build foundations and, with such a young team, it is not easy,” Le Bris adds.
“[It is tough] to build against teams who are able to create many problems. It was Bristol City, it was Stoke, and now it was Swansea. We need to have a well-rounded team to manage different problems and, with a young team, you need time.
“We did well in many, many phases.”
Le Bris concerned by Black Cats’ slow start in South Wales
Le Bris is determined to ensure that Sunderland do not repeat the mistakes which left them needing a minor miracle at the Swansea.com Stadium, however. Their inability to deal with the hosts set-pieces is a particular cause for concern.
“It is difficult to assess the reasons and to explain why we started so slowly,” the former FC Lorient boss admits. “I hope it will be a lesson for us but we will see.
“Its a question of energy, of ambition. I think, with a young team, you have to pay attention to every detail. And probably, in the week before, you have to manage your body a little bit different.
“Small details can make the difference, and we are learning.”