SUNDERLAND have moved to the top of the League One table for the first time since their opening game as a League One club – now assistant manager Jamie McAllister says the challenge is to stay there for the next eight-and-a-half months.

Two goals from Ross Stewart and a fine curled strike from Elliot Embleton secured the 3-1 win over Wycombe that lifted the Black Cats to the top of the third tier.

While they have been involved in two play-off campaigns since dropping out of the Championship, they have not been in top spot since beating Charlton in the lunchtime kick-off on the opening day of the 2018-19 season.

A delighted Stadium of Light celebrated being at the top of the pile throughout the second half of today’s game, but while McAllister is delighted to see his side looking down on the rest of the division, he is not about to start getting carried away in August.

“We’re top, but we want to be there after 46 games, not just five,” said McAllister, who stood in for Lee Johnson at today’s post-match press conference. “It's a great start and it's something we have to build on.

“We don't want to get carried away, we've got a lot of players who are fairly new in the building, and still adjusting to our philosophy and just senior football in general.

“But it's very exciting for us and it's massive for us to have the fans back as well. That was another great atmosphere. I love that Elvis song, it proper gets me going! The lads are loving it, the young lads are thriving on it, and we've got to keep building on it.”

Sunderland weathered some early Wycombe pressure with the score still goalless, but the complexion of the game changed entirely when Stewart and Embleton scored two goals in the space of four first-half minutes.

Stewart’s second goal ensured there would be no late nerves despite Wycombe claiming a stoppage-time consolation through substitute David Wheeler’s deflected strike.

“We were playing against a side who have started the season really well, so we knew it was going to be tough,” added McAllister. “The way they play, they're always going to cause problems.

“They have real quality up front in Sam Vokes and then they can get those runners off him. We weathered the storm early on and then showed some real quality to take control.

“I thought the third goal was massive, just to give us that cushion. We showed in little spells that quality, keeping the ball and moving the ball really well. We dealt with their threats really well.”