WHEN the Stadium of Light was unexpectedly plunged into darkness because of a floodlight failure at the weekend, Victor Anichebe must have felt at home. For the vast majority of his 11-year career, the Sunderland striker must have felt as though he was living in the shadows.

Hailed as a teenage prodigy when he made his reserve-team debut for Everton at the age of 15, he spent eight seasons in the first team at Goodison Park, but while he made 131 Premier League appearances for the Toffees, 73 were from the bench.

Things were no better at West Brom, where he managed just six goals and 25 league starts over the course of three years, so when he was cast onto the footballing scrap-heap as a free agent in the summer, it was hard to see him ever returning to the limelight.

Cue a move to Sunderland, a reuniting with David Moyes, and a run of three goals in the space of two games that has helped transform the Black Cats’ season. Just like the electricians who rapidly restored the power on Saturday, Anichebe has been able to illuminate Sunderland’s darkest of days.

“I started very young, and throughout my career, I know there have been times when I’ve been in good form, but something always seems to have happened, an injury or something like that,” said the 28-year-old. “But everyone outside knows I’m a good player.

“I had a lot of offers in the summer, and I had more from abroad, but my agent was in constant contact with the manager (Moyes). Everyone knows I’ve got this love for the manager after coming through with him.

“I always wanted to come back and play with him. I had bigger money moves to go abroad, but I’m only 28 and didn’t want to leave the Premier League.

“I knew quite early at West Brom that I wanted to see out my contract and then assess different options. I wasn’t being played much there, but I wasn’t bothered because it gave me time to concentrate on my body and the things I needed to do in order to get stronger. I tried to turn a bad time into a good time, and I always knew the belief David Moyes has in me.”

Anichebe’s physical strength has been one of his key attributes throughout his career, but dealing with this summer’s tribulations demanded a mental fortitude that should also stand him in good stead as he attempts to help Sunderland haul themselves out of the relegation zone.

Unable to train with a professional club following his release from the Hawthorns, Anichebe took himself to the United States to work with personal trainer Nicky Holender before returning to Britain to keep himself ticking over with daily sessions at Cheshire League Premier Division side Knutsford FC.

“I was in Los Angeles for a long time and worked with my trainer over there,” he said. “Then I came back to England, there were offers in the Championship, but I didn’t want to play there. Knutsford, where I live, I was fortunate they let me use their facilities and I’m really grateful to them for that.

“I was there every day, and able to keep as fit as possible. The manager asked me, ‘How fit are you’, and I said, ‘I feel fine, really fit’. I posted some videos to show him.”

Moyes obviously liked what he saw, and after claiming his first Sunderland goal in the win at Bournemouth that preceded the international break, Anichebe added another two to his tally as the Black Cats proved their south-coast success was no flash in the pan with an even more emphatic victory over one of their chief relegation rivals.

Jermain Defoe’s 150th Premier League goal got the ball rolling, with the former England international showcasing all of his enduring talent as he skipped past two defenders before hammering home, but the second half was all about Anichebe.

His first goal came within 12 minutes of the re-illumination, and saw him receive Patrick van Aanholt’s square ball before stepping inside Josh Tymon to hammer home, and his second was a similar strike that saw him roll past his marker on the right-hand side of the area after being teed up by Defoe.

There were nervous moments in between for the Black Cats, most notably when Jordan Pickford made a superb back-pedalling save to keep out Robert Snodgrass’ overhead kick and an even better double stop to deny Curtis Davies and Dieumerci Mbokani in a remarkable passage of play that also saw van Aanholt clear off the line, but thanks to Anichebe’s blossoming partnership with Defoe, the result was never really in doubt

Papy Djilobodji’s 89th-minute dismissal for a second yellow card was an annoyance, but by then, the game was well and truly up.

“I didn’t want to say before the game, but this was a huge, crucial game for us,” said Anichebe. “We needed to go out and show to the fans and ourselves that we can win a game, and then do it again. We had to follow up the Bournemouth game, and we did.”