After a stuttering end to the regular season, Sunderland

SURELY that must be the greatest single moment the Stadium of Light has ever witnessed.

- By CLIVE YOULTON

Dan Ballard’s headed goal that clinched a Championship play-off semi-final win over two legs produced a wave of electricity around the stadium and a roar that prompted TV pundit Jobi McAnuff to exclaim, "I'm not sure I've heard anything like that before.”

It's fair to say that many hundreds of Sunderland fans have left games by the end of 90 minutes during the season, so for the ground to be still almost full after 120 made the goal extra special.

Frankly, the roof nearly came off.

It was also the first goal scored at home by Sunderland since March 29 when, ironically, another defender, Trai Hume, scored the winner against Millwall in a 1-0 victory.

The Sunderland fans needed this night. They have been starved of goals and this one made all the suffering worth it.