Sunderland will be looking to make it four games unbeaten when they host Swansea City this weekend, but they have to be wary of the way their opponents have evolved since the last meeting.
Wins against Millwall and West Brom plus a draw against Norwich City in midweek has helped Sunderland secure their place in the play-offs.
The Black Cats have remained relatively consistent throughout the season, always managing to pick themselves up from brief dips in form here or there, and are now nailed on to finish fourth.
That’s an impressive achievement for Regis Le Bris’ first season on Wearside, and it could still get even better if Sunderland do clinch promotion.
Next up for Sunderland is a tricky test against an in-form Swansea side, and Le Bris will want to see more of the ‘character’ his team exhibited the last time they played the Welsh outfit.
- READ MORE: Five crucial lessons from Sunderland’s last two play-off campaigns that Regis Le Bris must learn
What Luke Williams said after 3-2 defeat to Sunderland in December
Sunderland went 2-0 down within the first 17 minutes back in December, but fought back thanks to goals from Dan Ballard, Dan Neil, and Jobe Bellingham.
It was a vital three points and an unbelievable show of resilience and determination from the young Black Cats team. But, it was a bitterly disappointing day for Swansea, of course.
As per the BBC, then-Swansea manager Luke Williams had no hesitation in slamming his Swansea players after the game, citing a mentality issue as the cause of the disastrous downfall in South Wales.
Focusing on the second-half performance, Williams said the display from his players “stank of doubt”, and even went as far as claiming Swansea exhibited “a fear of achieving their potential” by allowing the collapse to occur.
Ultimately, Williams would only last two more months in his role as Swansea manager before getting sacked after a poor run of form left the club in the midst of a relegation battle.
Now, Alan Sheehan in charge, Swansea have picked up seven points from the last three games to all-but confirm their survival and pull away from that relegation dogfight, and Sunderland will have to be wary not to become the next victim of Sheehan’s revival.
- READ MORE: Kristjaan Speakman ‘keeping tabs’ on £2.3m Man City teen amid growing Jobe Bellingham uncertainty
Sunderland have quietly got the job done for months, now it’s time to make some noise
Aside from that incredible start to the season that saw Sunderland leading the way at the top of the Championship table, and the odd result here and there, the Black Cats have been fairly unremarkable for a while.
Grinding out results is all well and good, but now is the time that Sunderland really need to be strutting their stuff and building some confidence heading into the play-offs.
Chris Mepham thinks the best is still to come for Sunderland, and hopefully, he’s right, because the displays we’re seeing at the moment will not be good enough to get over the line and succeed at Wembley.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LeedsLeeds | 41 | 24 | 13 | 4 | 80 | 28 | 52 | 85 |
| 2 |  BurnleyBurnley | 41 | 23 | 16 | 2 | 55 | 12 | 43 | 85 |
| 3 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 41 | 26 | 7 | 8 | 56 | 31 | 25 | 83 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 41 | 21 | 13 | 7 | 57 | 37 | 20 | 76 |
| 5 |  Bristol CityBristol City | 41 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 53 | 44 | 9 | 63 |
| 6 |  CoventryCoventry | 41 | 18 | 8 | 15 | 58 | 53 | 5 | 62 |
Teams around Sunderland are growing in confidence and gaining momentum, with Bristol City and Coventry City the obvious examples there, while the teams above are naturally very strong indeed.
We could well be in a position where Sunderland go into the play-offs as the team with the least momentum, and that would be very harmful indeed.