He was simply beginning to edge into the primary crew image on the Stadium of Gentle in the course of the canine days of Sunderland’s 2007-2017 Premier League stint, and he was considered one of our central figures in the course of the years of lower-league exile that adopted, so when Lynden Gooch returns to Wearside as a Huddersfield participant for tomorrow evening’s Carabao Cup tie, maybe it’ll be a barely bittersweet event for the Californian-born, Mackem-raised defender.
After all, from a Sunderland perspective, there’s much more on the desk tomorrow evening than a reunion with a former fan favorite, however as our journey from League One drifters to Championship contenders to Premier League new boys continues, why shouldn’t we give props to somebody who’ll likely really feel an excessive amount of pleasure on the progress made on the Stadium of Gentle since 2022?
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Within the first occasion, it’s abundantly clear that Terriers’ followers have already taken Gooch to their hearts, as we see right here…
Stunning? Hardly.
The work price that was the fulcrum of a lot of his play in pink and white — some would say unimportantly and that his technical shortcomings undermined that, one thing with which I’d disagree — has clearly been retained, first when he left Sunderland for Stoke Metropolis on the finish of the summer season switch window of 2023, after which following his transfer to West Yorkshire earlier this 12 months.
Throughout the League One promotion marketing campaign, his versatility and sheer dedication to the trigger performed a serious position because the Lads scrapped and fought their means again to the Championship.
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Sure, he could possibly be erratic and he typically needed to take care of cries of “he solely has one good recreation in each three or 4”, however as we fought to flee that hellhole of a division beneath Alex Neil’s granite-tough administration, it was evident that angle was as necessary as expertise — one thing embodied by the likes of Gooch, Luke O’Nien, Corry Evans and others, and he deserved his second within the solar at Wembley as a lot as anybody else.
In 2022/2023, Gooch turned considered one of our most dependable gamers and having served discover of his, and by extension the crew’s intent, with a ridiculous chipped aim in opposition to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, he continued to place within the laborious yards when Neil was changed by Tony Mowbray and we launched into what typically felt like an against-the-odds playoff push.
In direction of the tip of the marketing campaign, with the crew decimated by harm and Mowbray wanting excessive and low for short-term fixes, Gooch appeared to be in all places, filling in wherever he was required and greater than carrying his share of the load.
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The problem for the highest six as a newly-promoted aspect may’ve felt unlikely however everybody appeared to be impressed by the efforts of the gamers who had been nonetheless standing, and had the playoff semi-final second leg in opposition to Luton not hinged on a obvious lack of Sunderland peak at Kenilworth Street, a second successive passage to Wembley would’ve been ours and possibly — simply possibly — the American would’ve tasted his second successive promotion in pink and white.
Because it was, we fell simply wanting a Wembley last in opposition to Coventry Metropolis. The squad then underwent one thing of an overhaul and Gooch’s eventual departure for Stoke Metropolis and a reunion with Neil, ostensibly to make means for Timothée Pembélé, felt like one thing of a misstep, as one may argue that his rising expertise may’ve helped to maintain the pink and white ship on a steadier course throughout a turbulent 2023/2024 marketing campaign.
As it’s, his profession took a distinct flip and Sunderland’s trajectory has continued upwards beneath the steerage of Régis Le Bris, whom I think may’ve admired Gooch’s wholehearted strategy, sturdiness and selfless angle.
Would he have made the grade for us within the Premier League? Perhaps not.
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Was he a type of lads who performed a big position in serving to us to start out transferring ahead once more? Completely, and that’s why I needed to provide him his due forward of tomorrow night’s reunion, as a result of the journey we’ve been on since 2022 concerned a variety of effort from a variety of good and respectable males — of which Gooch is actually one.
He’ll get a heat reception when he runs out in entrance of the supporters for whom it at all times meant a lot to play, and hopefully what’ll likely be a much-changed Sunderland crew can clock up a victory that’ll ship us into Saturday’s conflict with Brentford in a constructive way of thinking.