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Ballard finds right balance
The Chronicle
|November 12, 2025
DAN Ballard has shown himself to be a colossus this season for Sunderland. Boss Regis Le Bris has gone so far as to say the club and fans are seeing "the real Dan Ballard" after his stellar performances.
When the Frenchman took over Sunderland 18 months ago, Ballard was unavailable because of injury and a succession of niggling issues in the first half of last season meant the Northern Irishman started only nine of the first 30 games of the Championship campaign.
He was sidelined again towards the end of the season, and while he returned to play a pivotal role in the playoffs, scoring the extra-time goal against Coventry City that took Sunderland to Wembley, Le Bris never quite felt he was at his physical peak.
A groin injury in the early stages of August's defeat at Burnley ruled him out again at the start of this season.
This story is from the November 12, 2025 edition of The Chronicle.
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