STEVE COTTERILL always said he was going to make it as a top manager and at Sunderland he is likely to get the chance to prove it.

The 38-year-old may only have been installed as assistant to Howard Wilkinson, but he knows his time could come if he impresses on the training field on Wearside.

And if, or more likely when, the time arises for him to step into the managerial hot-seat, the Gloucestershire man can turn around and say: "I told you so."

He is a confident man with an arrogance that will not be welcomed by the waiting press.

But what he lacks in front of the media he more than makes up for in the dressing room, as he is known to be a tremendous man-manager.

And Derek Goddard, of the Gloucestershire Echo, who covered Cheltenham for five years as ex-boss Cotterill made a name for himself at Whaddon Road, believes Sunderland's new man can make a go of life at the Stadium of Light.

However, he also indicated that Wilkinson has drafted in a very emotional coach to work alongside him at the Black Cats.

"Steve is a very sensitive bloke," said Goddard, of the man who quit his job at Stoke City on Wednesday night.

"I first knew him as an 18-year-old at Cheltenham and he was always a little cocky then.

"Then he left to go to Wimbledon, where he was plagued with injury. But he was always very tetchy and cocky.

"He is not one to get on with the press. He's one of those that if you asked him his name he would want to know why you were asking.

"I think the men at BBC Radio Stoke will be quietly pleased that he has moved on."

But what the ex-Wimbledon, Bournemouth and Brighton forward lacks in media relations he more than makes up for in football terms, which is what persuaded Sunderland to tempt him away from Stoke City, where he won just three out of 13 games since May.

The Cotterill-Wilkinson management team may not be the pairing most Sunderland fans wanted to see at the helm, but the latter is convinced his No 2 has got what it takes to be a massive success.

Wilkinson, who quit his post with the FA to take up his new job, met Cotterrill for the first time in February, when the younger man was taking his UEFA Pro Licence exams at Cheltenham.

Speaking at the time, the examiner compared Sunderland's new assistant manager with some of the finest Premiership managers in today's game.

"Cotterill is a great coach," he said. "Alex Ferguson, Gerard Houllier, Martin O'Neill, Sven-Goran Eriksson and Arsene Wenger all started out managing at the lower levels.

"Now we have Steve Cotterrill and he has already done very well. He is one of the most promising coaches in England."

And Goddard, a man who had day-to-day dealings with the man in question while he was in charge at Cheltenham, echoed those sentiments.

"Steve is a great motivator, he goes after players and he does not let them go until he has got what he wants," said Goddard.

"He pays great attention to detail, he is without doubt a players' manager. The Sunderland players will all get on with him.

"The fact that he has also got his UEFA Pro Licence - the highest coaching qualification in Europe - also means he is an excellent coach.

"And let's face it, he took Cheltenham up from the Dr Martens League in just over five years, so he has been doing something right."

Lawrie Sanchez, Cotterill's close friend from his time at Plough Lane, landed him his first break in management - at Irish outfit Sligo Rovers.

Sanchez had left the Premier Division club in August 1995, but Cotterill took over on his recommendation and promptly steered Sligo to an impressive third-place finish, the League Cup final and into the Intertoto Cup.

And, as has become the theme of Cotterill's lightning-quick rise through the managerial ranks, his talent was spotted.

Cotterill's hometown club of Cheltenham were the beneficiaries on this occasion, handing him the task of taking them from the Conference to Division Three immediately after their promotion from the Southern League.