BY the time Sunderland’s players line up against Coventry City on Sunday lunchtime, it will have been 71 days since the Black Cats booked their place in the Championship via a Wembley win in the League One play-off final. Seventy-one days might seem like a long time to have to wait – but it is nothing compared to four seasons.

After a four-year hiatus that encompassed some of the darkest days in Sunderland’s history, the club has finally returned to the second tier. It is not quite back where it belongs yet – another promotion will be needed before that happens – but after a lengthy period of collapse and stagnation, the Black Cats are back on an upward trajectory. The key question over the course of the next ten months is whether the current sense of momentum and optimism can be maintained.

Things certainly feel different heading into the new season, with no one quite sure where Sunderland’s ambitions should be calibrated. In each of their campaigns in League One, the Wearsiders began the season as favourites to win the title. It never turned out like that of course, but automatic promotion was always the sole focus when things began.

This time around, you will struggle to find even the most optimistic of Sunderland supporters suggesting that a top-two finish is a minimum requirement. But what would represent a good season? A place in the play-offs? Survival in 21st position? Or somewhere in between?

The stark reality is that of the 12 teams that were promoted into the Championship in each of the last four seasons, none finished their first campaign in the second tier higher than 15th. Five of the 12 sides were immediately relegated back in League One, which highlights that while the gap between the Premier League and Championship might be stark, the gulf dividing the second and third tiers is almost as wide. Consolidation has to be the name of the game for Sunderland over the course of the next 12 months.

That is not to say it should be doom and gloom at the outset though. The Black Cats have plenty of things in their favour as they prepare to make their Championship return, not least the identity of their head coach, Alex Neil, who boasts extensive experience in the division.

Neil guided Norwich into the top-flight via the Championship play-offs, but perhaps more pertinent to the task in hand on Wearside, initially at least, is his four-year spell in charge of Preston. Working on an extremely limited budget, and despite having to constantly replace his better players who tended to either be loanees or players who were sold once they started to impress, Neil guided Preston to finishes of seventh, 14th and ninth in his three full seasons at Deepdale. He knows what it takes to get a side with limited means to punch above its weight.

The Northern Echo: Alex Neil

That is where Sunderland find themselves, despite the size of the club and the fervent fan base that will flock to the Stadium of Light this weekend. Four years outside the Championship has damaged the Black Cats’ financial standing and means they are playing catch-up to just about all of their rivals, many of whom have benefited or are still benefiting from Premier League parachute payments. It is not an even playing field, as Sunderland have discovered as they have attempted to make signings this summer.

Thankfully, the core of the squad that won promotion last season remains intact and is strong. Defensively, the Black Cats look reasonably well stocked, with the addition of Daniel Ballard and retention of Bailey Wright having assured sufficient options at the heart of the back four and Neil’s decision to turn Lynden Gooch into an out-and-out right-back rather than a jack-of-all trades having finally addressed a long-standing issue.

There will be a fair bit of responsibility piled onto the shoulders of Anthony Patterson, but on the evidence of his performances in the second half of last season, not least in the semi-finals and final of the play-offs, the 22-year-old looks capable of handling it. If his career continues on its current trajectory, the North Shields-born shot-stopper could become a real star.

Midfield is another area of relative strength, with the return of Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke, both now on a permanent basis, especially welcome. The duo were star performers in the second half of last season, and both boast experience of life in the second tier. Hopefully, they will kick on now they have a home at the Stadium of Light.

The Northern Echo: Patrick Roberts

Alex Pritchard is another midfield playmaker who has previously excelled at Championship level, and while his career might have been tailing off before he joined the Black Cats, he certainly rediscovered his mojo last season. His creativity in an attacking-midfield role could be hugely important.

The major worry ahead of Sunderland’s season opener at the weekend comes in attack, where Ross Stewart is currently the only show in town. That should change soon, with Everton’s Ellis Simms on the verge of signing a season-long loan deal at the Stadium of Light, but while the youngster has previously scored goals on loan at Blackpool and Hearts, he will have to prove that he can either gel with Stewart or provide effective support to the Scotsman.

Ideally, Sunderland will bring in a third forward before the transfer window closes, but whatever happens between now and the end of August, they could do with Stewart remaining fit and weighing in with 20 goals over the course of the next nine months. Clearly, the latter is heavily reliant on the former, but relying on either would be a gamble, hence Neil’s summer-long desire to increase his options.

Stewart is the most exciting striker Sunderland have had on their books for more than half a decade, hence the interest from Rangers that dominated the headlines at the start of the summer. He is more than capable of making a major impact at Championship level, but his ability to step up to the next level is not guaranteed. Jonson Clarke-Harris looked a world beater as Peterborough won promotion from League One two years ago, buit barely scored a goal in the Championship last season. All the available evidence suggests Stewart will be much more effective, but it cannot be taken for granted. Somehow, Neil will have to come up with a functioning Plan B, which may or may not feature Simms.

Provided he can do that, Sunderland should be set for a successful season. To return to the initial question of what success would look like, it almost certainly wouldn’t mean preparing for a return to the Premier League this time next summer. But it also shouldn’t mean having to become reacquainted with the footballing backwaters of League One. Building foundations, gradually improving, achieving sustainable growth. They might sound like modest ambitions, but after the chaos of the last four years, they will more than do for now.