BY staging Britain's biggest free music festival at Herrington Country Park over the last two days, Radio One had already ensured this would be "One Big Weekend" for Sunderland.

But, by lifting the Championship trophy at the Stadium of Light yesterday, the city's footballers overshadowed anything that was going on less than five miles down the road.

When it comes to the heartbeat of a region that prides itself on the unique bond between football and civic identity, weekends don't come much bigger than this.

It is now two years since Sunderland crashed out of the Premiership with the lowest points total in top-flight history. Those two years have been long and painful, with more than 70 club employees losing their jobs and over 20 senior professionals leaving the Stadium of Light to ward off the threat of administration.

But, when skipper Gary Breen hoisted the Championship trophy above his head in the aftermath of yesterday's 1-0 win over Stoke, the dark days of Sunderland's recent struggles were finally forgotten.

Next season will bring its own challenges but, for now, the whole of Wearside can bask in the glory of one of the most successful seasons in the club's history.

Only once - in 1998-99 - have Sunderland ever earned more points or won more games than they have done over the last nine months. Written off after the heartbreak of play-off defeat to Crystal Palace last May, Mick McCarthy has assembled a squad of players who can rightly claim to be the best the Championship has to offer.

They were hailed as heroes yesterday, and they will be given another rousing reception today when an open-top bus takes them from Sunderland's Civic Centre to the Stadium of Light.

Fittingly, the route of the trophy parade - along Fawcett Street and through the city centre - mirrors the journey taken by the club's FA Cup winners 32 years ago this weekend. The extent of the achievement might differ, but you can guarantee the celebrations will be every bit as euphoric.

If anyone was doubting Wearside's appetite for Premiership football after the tears and trauma of relegation, yesterday's attendance of 47,350 provided a resounding response.

The crowd, which represented Sunderland's first full house for almost three years, was the biggest for a game outside of the top-flight since 1979 and underlined the insatiable appetite of a set of fans who can now look forward to welcoming Chelsea instead of Cardiff and Liverpool rather than Luton.

That, after all, is what yesterday's red and white suits, tin foil trophies and comedy wigs were all about.

Perhaps inevitably, the game itself proved something of an anti-climax.

With Stoke having nothing to play for, and Sunderland's players counting down the minutes to the presentation of the Championship trophy, Mick McCarthy's insistence that the result "remained important" rang somewhat hollow.

The Black Cats have built their promotion on a willingness to work and an ability to play with pace and tempo no matter how stifling the opposition's tactics.

The requisite effort was there yesterday but, with the game's competitive edge removed, Sunderland's players understandably failed to find top gear.

The likes of Liam Lawrence and Julio Arca, so influential over the last two months, played well within themselves and, as a result, McCarthy's champions struggled to carve out chances.

Chris Brown almost broke clear in the fifth minute but, while a goal at that stage might have opened the floodgates, he was hauled back by full-back Lewis Buxton on the edge of the area.

Sunderland still might have scored from the resultant free-kick, but Stoke goalkeeper Steve Simonsen produced a fine diving block to keep out Dean Whitehead's drive.

Whitehead was the home side's most influential figure throughout a low-key first half. The 23-year-old, who was an unknown when he signed from Oxford last summer, epitomises everything that McCarthy has achieved this season and, while midfield reinforcements will undoubtedly arrive this summer, his endless energy should serve him well in the top-flight.

He fired an instinctive first-time strike narrowly wide of the upright after Arca's 12th-minute square ball had opened a gap in the Stoke defence, before shooting straight at Simonsen when Stephen Wright found him in the penalty area six minutes before half-time.

Brown had also gone close by that stage - only Michael Duberry's last-gasp challenge prevented him converting Arca's cross - and a sliding Carl Robinson was inches away from turning home Marcus Stewart's centre on the stroke of half-time.

But, with Sunderland committing more and more midfielders forward, it was Stoke who twice came closest to grabbing a surprise lead as the break approached.

Karl Henry flashed a half-volley past the left-hand post after the otherwise impressive Ben Alnwick had flapped at Dave Brammer's cross, before Chris Greenacre drifted inside Wright but dragged his shot across goal.

Sunderland had been similarly subdued before the break at West Ham but, just as McCarthy's words of wisdom had heralded a stirring second half at Upton Park, so his side instantly upped their game once their manager had spoken yesterday.

Lawrence saw his ferocious 20-yarder turned over the top by Simonsen, before Robinson finally broke the deadlock in the 56th minute.

The midfielder has been one of Sunderland's unsung heroes this season, mixing tough tackling in front of the back four with deceptively deft short passes and through balls.

He might not be renowned for his ability in the air but, when Lawrence delivered a teasing free-kick from the left, Robinson stole in front of his marker to loop a delicate header over Simonsen.

Gary Breen should have doubled the winning margin midway through the second half, but he blazed over from eight yards.

A goal for the skipper would have provided a fitting finale but, instead, it was left to Stewart to provide the final memory of the campaign.

Showing his rarely-seen sentimental side, McCarthy ensured the striker would receive a standing ovation on his last outing in a red and white shirt by substituting him with six minutes to go.

The 32-year-old was one of the few remaining links to Sunderland's last spell in the Premiership. His departure suggests that a new era has already begun.

Result: Sunderland 1 Stoke City 0.

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