A JUBILANT John Fickling last night spoke of his delight at Sunderland's promotion to the Premiership, but revealed that all talk of celebration has been banned until the Championship trophy is safely locked away at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats' vice chairman led the applause as Mick McCarthy and his players enjoyed a lap of honour at the end of Saturday's 2-1 win over Leicester.

The result guaranteed a return to the top-flight but, with two games of the season to go, Sunderland could still be overtaken by Wigan if they take their foot off the gas in the next 12 days.

McCarthy is confident that will not happen and, after backing their boss to the hilt in the last two years, the club's board will be doing all they can to ensure Sunderland enter the Premiership as champions next season.

"It's fantastic for the fans, for Mick and the players who have worked so hard for everyone connected to the club," said Fickling, who will meet with his fellow board members next month to finalise Sunderland's spending plans for this summer.

"The Stadium of Light was built for Premiership football and the club deserves to be there, but this is not the time to talk about next season. That time will come in due course.

"We are a Championship club until May 8 and now we are focusing on trying to bring the Championship trophy to Sunderland.

"That would cap what has been a great season for all of us, and it starts with our game at West Ham on Friday night."

Sunderland will be crowned champions if they win at Upton Park but, should they slip up in the capital, a last-day win over Stoke will be good enough to claim the title.

Almost 40,000 tickets have already been sold for that game and, with interest continuing to build, the Stadium of Light is expected to be sold out for the first time this season.

Sunderland City Council are also in talks with the club over an official celebration to mark their achievements.

Sunderland's fans have ridden an emotional rollercoaster in the last three years but, while relegation and play-off defeat have hit them hard, Bob Murray has been delighted with their continued support.

The Black Cats' chairman came in for a fair bit of flak when the Wearsiders were relegated two seasons ago but, after riding out the storm, he has praised the faith shown by the club's followers.

"The response from supporters has been phenomenal," said Murray, whose health deteriorated significantly as his club tumbled out of the top-flight.

"I hope they enjoy the rest of the season as much as they did on Saturday.

"The result on Saturday was rightly deserved and a massive relief for everyone. The success means so much more after the last two years.

"I share the players' desire to go on and finish the season in style by bringing the Championship trophy back to the Stadium of Light. That's what we'll all aim for now.

"Most of all, I want to share and enjoy the next two weeks with Mick and the players, all the staff at the club and the fans who have been fantastic."

McCarthy spent Sunday celebrating his side's success, but he was back at his desk yesterday planning for Friday's trip to West Ham.

The Black Cats boss is also beginning to turn his attention towards next season and, while he has yet to learn how much cash he will have to spend this summer, he has already complied a list of possible targets.

Murray will have the final say over how much of the club's estimated £25m windfall is made available for squad strengthening, and McCarthy has praised his chairman's role in turning the club's fortunes around.

"When the club was relegated there was a lot of flak directed at Bob Murray," said McCarthy, who will make a decision on the future of both Marcus Stewart and Thomas Myhre next month.

"When I came here and I looked at the training ground, the ground and the infrastructure - that's credit to him.

"He made money available. When I came here and we had 19 points and were at the bottom of the league it wasn't his fault.

"He and the board had done everything possible to try and get a team that had done well and finished seventh twice - what happened wasn't down to him.

"I've a great relationship with him - he's supported me as well as he could and I'm delighted for him and for everybody connected with the club."

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