SHREWSBURY’S Montgomgery Waters Meadow stadium is the first ground in the country to trial safe standing. For most of Saturday’s game against Sunderland, the home supporters stood behind rail seats would have been happy with their elevated view of proceedings. By the final whistle, however, it was the 1,640 travelling fans crammed into the away end that were on their feet.

Forget comfortable home wins over Scunthorpe and Rochdale or the free-flowing away performance at Gillingham, these are the days that win you promotion.

For almost an hour, Sunderland were distinctly second best against a Shrewsbury side that look destined for a season-long battle against the drop. With their opponents pressing them back towards their own area, the Black Cats were forced into a succession of dangerous balls across their own backline. When they did eventually look to go long, the ball kept coming back at them. Lacking a physical threat up front, neither Jerome Sinclair nor Josh Maja was capable of retaining possession.

It seemed only a matter of time before their resistance was broken, but with Tom Flanagan and Jack Baldwin both superb at the heart of the back four, they dug in to keep themselves on level terms. Cue Jack Ross’ substitutions, and proof that Sunderland’s formidable squad depth is capable of winning them any game.

George Honeyman came on to provide some drive in midfield, Lynden Gooch had an even more transformative effect as his energetic, direct approach enabled him to set up both goals, and Sunderland’s final substitute, Luke O’Nien, settled things when he slammed home his first goal for the Black Cats with six minutes left.

A win that had looked extremely unlikely for the best part of an hour was eventually secured with a fair bit to spare. After a horrific few years, Sunderland know only too well that losing can become a habit. As they are discovering this season, though, winning can become second nature too.

“The team’s gone through a lot of transition,” said O’Nien, whose emphatic 84th-minute finish rounded off Sunderland’s best counter-attacking move. “We had 11 or 12 signings during the off-season, and it takes time to gel as a group.

“We’ve done well so far, we’re third and we’re only going to get better. This was a tough game, but all games aren’t going to go your way. You have to be resilient like we were from back to front, and the clean sheet was important. It gives us good momentum going forward, and there’s loads of positives to take.

“Momentum is key, I learned that last year when I was at Wycombe. Momentum is very key. We want to win the league, and momentum is very important in that. This is another stepping stone. It was a tough game – you saw the performance Shrewsbury put in, and they were up there last year – but we wanted to come here and take points away, and that’s what we’ve done.”

A number of things set Sunderland apart from their rivals in League One, not least the level of quality boasted by seasoned Premier League performers like Lee Cattermole and Aiden McGeady.

However, more than anything, it is the depth of the Black Cats squad that provides them with a huge advantage over the likes of Peterborough United and Accrington Stanley, who are currently rivalling them for promotion.

Gooch, a full United States international, would walk into pretty much any other team in the third tier, yet having completed his return from injury during the international break, the midfielder was forced to bide his time on the bench throughout Saturday’s first half.

Similarly, while Honeyman was handed the captain’s armband in the summer on the back of his impressive performances in the Championship last season, that does not mean he can expect to waltz into the starting line-up when the likes of Cattermole and Dylan McGeouch are his midfield competition.

Ross has options in every position, and that is before you add in the likes of Bryan Oviedo, Donald Love, Glenn Loovens, Max Power and Duncan Watmore, who should all be available in the next few weeks. Offer any of those players to Sunderland’s promotion rivals, and they would snap off your hand to add them to their team.

“The depth of your squad is very important, and hopefully it’s something that will set us apart,” said O’Nien. “If you look at the team that started the season, it almost certainly won’t be the team that finishes the last game.

“You need options, and the depth of the squad is very, very important. That’s an advantage for us. It’s an advantage in the matches, and it’s also an advantage in training because we have so many good players.

“I remember looking across the bench in the last home game, and it was exciting just to see the firepower that we had there. You’re talking about experienced players who know what it’s all about. That’s really exciting for me. It’s a great place to be to learn.

“If things are going great, then brilliant, we don’t need to make any subs. But if things aren’t going great, we’re covering all bases, which is important.

“The season’s very long, and you’re going to get lots of different challenges. Everyone’s got different backgrounds and strengths, so when these different challenges come, you’ll have players who are able to step up and show their strengths at different times during the season.”

On Saturday, it was Sunderland’s defensive resilience that was initially the key to their success, with Shrewsbury’s territorial dominance in the first half not translating to the scoreboard.

There was a scare when Shaun Whalley’s free-kick looped over Jon McLaughlin and hit the crossbar, but for all that Shrewsbury hurled a number of balls into the box, it was to Sunderland’s credit that their goalkeeper’s only first-half save was a routine catch from a Luke Waterfall header.

The Black Cats’ first-half attacking was largely non-existent, but the game changed markedly when Gooch and Honeyman came on to the field. Suddenly, Sunderland had midfielders whose first thought was to thrust forward, and within five minutes of his introduction, Gooch was swinging over the cross that led to the breakthrough.

Flanagan exerted pressure on the edge of the six-yard box, and Omar Beckles panicked and prodded the ball into his own goal.

Joel Coleman prevented Chris Maguire from doubling Sunderland’s lead when he made a fine one-handed save, but the visitors’ counter-attacking capabilities became increasingly significant as the game wore on and resulted in a second goal with six minutes left.

Maguire broke down the right to tee up O’Nien, and while the substitute slipped as he played a one-two with Gooch, he recovered to continue his charge into the box. Gooch’s through ball was measured to perfection, and O’Nien drilled home a crisp first-time finish.

“The gaffer told me to go on and score,” said the goalscorer. “He said, ‘There’s a goal here for you’. I’ve thanked Lynden about a million times for playing me in. I just managed to get my head down, and get my foot through it into the bottom corner.

“It was nice because being 1-0 up with not long to go, it was difficult for the boys. So getting the second one helped the team get to the final whistle without any problems.”