Why history suggests Sunderland should be confident ahead of Birmingham City test

The Black Cats head for St Andrew’s off the back of one point in five Championship games and a dismal performance in defeat against Cardiff on Saturday. But, as he looks to turn their season around, Tony Mowbray can lean on a spectacular recent record for Sunderland when playing on Friday evenings.

For The Lads are undefeated in the last seven games - and lost just one of the last 10 - they have played on the final day of the working week.

It is four wins, three draws and more than four and a half years since Sunderland tasted defeat on a Friday – when Aleksandr Mitrovic’s header secured a 2-1 victory for Fulham to ensure the Black Cats would finish bottom of the Championship in 2017-18.

And, in helping take the Black Cats back into the second tier, the most recent two of those wins – both earlier in 2022 - were among the most important in their modern history.

First, on-loan Nathan Broadhead hammered home a dramatic late winner against Shrewsbury to make it a very Good Friday, as Sunderland held on to sixth place – and the final play-off spot – in League One.

Sunderland looked like they had thrown victory away when Josh Vela and old boy Tom Flanagan scored twice in eight minutes early in the second half to cancel out quickfire first-half goals from Elliot Embleton and Broadhead.

But Broadhead calmed Wearside nerves, as his glancing header from Jack Clarke’s cross secured a vital victory.

Then, exactly three weeks later, Sunderland – having finished fifth in the table – took a stride towards Wembley.

In front of almost 45,000 at the Stadium of Light, Ross Stewart robbed Sam Hutchinson before beating Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell at the second attempt to claim the only goal in the first leg of the promotion play-off semi-final.

A 1-1 draw in the return leg at Hillsborough saw Sunderland through to Wembley, where Stewart grabbed his 26th goal of the season to seal a comfortable 2-0 win – and promotion – against Wycombe.

Sunderland’s last 10 Friday games:

May 6, 2022: Sunderland 1 Sheffield Wednesday 0 (League One play-off semi-final first leg)

April 15, 2022: Sunderland 3 Shrewsbury 2 (League One)

April 2, 2021: Sunderland 3 Oxford 1 (League One)

November 27, 2020: Fleetwood 1 Sunderland 1 (League One)

January 24, 2020: Sunderland 0 Doncaster 0 (League One)

April 19, 2019: Sunderland 2 Doncaster Rovers 0 (League One)

February 15, 2019: Sunderland 2 Accrington Stanley 2 (League One)

April 27, 2018: Fulham 2 Sunderland 1 (Championship)

March 30, 2018: Derby County 1 Sunderland 4 (Championship)

August 4, 2017: Sunderland 1 Derby County 1 (Championship)