Sunderland 2, QPR 1.

ON Grand National day last year, depressed Sunderland fans took solace from an April fixture with Fulham that had to be abandoned after 21 minutes due to blizzards.

That afternoon, as the club's loyal support departed the Stadium of Light, many on Wearside could easily have paid a visit to the Samaritans on their way home, as they wondered when the city's ailing club would emerge from the depths of despair.

Twelve months on and those disheartened Wearsiders have smiles on their face again.

It is no longer those in red and white needing comfort, hence the reason why donations into the Samaritans' buckets outside of the ground on Saturday were so frequent.

It was a few weeks before the Aintree spectacle of 2006 that Niall Quinn laid the early foundations to become the saviour of Sunderland Football Club.

Now, with his every move and decision worshiped by the followers, the chairman's first dream has almost become reality.

Roy Keane, the retired former Manchester United captain who had never tested his hand at management before, has proven himself to possess all the required credentials to be one of the world's finest managers. His appointment has been a pure masterstroke by Quinn.

And this morning, after Grant Leadbitter's stunning late winner over Queens Park Rangers and second placed Derby County's defeat at Ipswich on Saturday, Keane is on the verge of delivering automatic promotion to the top-flight at the first attempt.

Extending an unbeaten league run in 2007 to 17 matches, for the first time since Peter Reid led Sunderland to the Football League title in 1999, has ensured a play-off place at least.

But, with three matches remaining and having edged ahead of the rest, a top six place will no longer suffice. The whole of Sunderland wants automatic promotion, they want to hold the trophy for the fourth time since the second world war.

Defeats for Birmingham and Derby this coming weekend, followed by a win for Sunderland at Colchester United on Saturday, and their goal will have been achieved.

The mere fact such a prospect is within touching distance is a sign of the perfectionist job carried out by Keane since taking over in August, with Sunderland second from bottom of the Championship and without a win in five.

"Firstly, they have shown a great desire," said Keane, choosing to direct the credit towards his playing staff rather than himself. "More desire than any other team over the last few months to get in the position we are in.

"I said I didn't really want a team of individuals and they are working as a team. There is a great working environment around this club, there's a good feel to the club and the players. It has all helped."

The desire he has witnessed from his players mirrors that of Keane the player.

Yet given the enormous changes he has overseen during his seven months in charge, Sunderland's success is all the more surprising. Keane appears to have the Midas touch.

For the 39th match in a row he tinkered with his line-up and within seven minutes Sunderland's freshness paid off.

Nyron Nosworthy found David Connolly. The Irish striker turned, rolled into the path of Dean Whitehead and the captain fended off the challenge from Marcus Bignot before applying the neatest of finishes.

It was a goal of Premiership quality, which drew applause from Keane in his technical area, and it appeared to have set the tone for a routine home win.

But a failure to trouble goalkeeper Lee Camp soon after pushed Sunderland into casual mode, and QPR made them pay 16 minutes later.

Whitehead gave possession away cheaply in the centre, Simpson followed suit and striker Dexter Blackstock reached the loose ball first and was tripped by goalkeeper Darren Ward as he ran away from goal.

The much-travelled Martin Rowlands converted the penalty and Sunderland, who went onto create the better chances, never seriously tested Camp again until the latter stages.

This time last year Sunderland would have buckled as they plummeted towards a debilitating relegation. This, though, is a different Sunderland, a vibrant one.

And Keane has sensed the enormity of the transformation in fortunes at the Stadium of Light, where a near 40,000 crowd could sense the inevitability that the winner would eventually come.

"You have to remember it wasn't easy for a lot of these players to come to Sunderland," said Keane, who had four faces in the starting line-up who experienced the low of being condemned to the Championship a year to the day ago in a goalless draw with Manchester United.

"A lot of them were already at established clubs and on good contracts and you're asking them to come to a club quite literally at the bottom of the Championship.

"I had to take the disappointment of earlier in the season on my shoulders, when results were up and down and I had to chop and change to make sure people settled in."

Before half-time Daryl Murphy wasted a decent opportunity after working his way in behind the defence, while Whitehead was denied a second by the head of midfielder Adam Bolder.

And after the restart, with Ross Wallace withdrawn after a heavy knock, Murphy's link up with Connolly down the left should have regained the advantage.

Connolly wanted too much time and, after trying to cut inside three men, his belated effort on goal was denied by the Rangers defender.

But then, for the second game in a row, Keane called Leadbitter into action.

Fifteen minutes later Carlos Edwards rolled a free-kick from the right into his path and the young midfielder struck powerfully into Camp's bottom right from 25 yards.

QPR had been made to pay for affording Leadbitter, the scorer of a stunning late winner at Southampton seven days ago to put the Black Cats top, too much space to repeat his Easter tricks.

"Grant signed a new contract four weeks ago - he should have held on a bit after scoring these two goals," said Keane.

"Grant, like Nyron, Danny and Daryl of the players to have been through bad times here, have shown me they want to be a part of our future."

It is a future which looks destined to be a bright one and, provided there are no major hiccups in the final three fixtures, a future destined for the Premiership.