Cats about to face their biggest test yet-but summer gamble has paid off

Amid the excitement and enthusiasm that greeted Sunderland's extensive recruitment drive, there was one doubt that began to nag away at the club's supporters.

- by Phil Smith

Sunderland players and staff celebrate after the victory over Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light.

What will we do during AFCON? Even as Régis Le Bris's exciting new-look side began to settle into shape during preseason, it was obvious that he would go for a number of weeks without a strong core of his settled XI when the tournament rolled around.

When you asked Le Bris or any of the other key figures in Sunderland's hierarchy about this looming issue, you would invariably receive a wry smile or a shrug.

Which shouldn't be mistaken as blasé or unbothered. It was more just a case of accepting the reality of the situation.

AFCON would be a challenge, clearly, but Sunderland were trying to build a new team almost from scratch in a ferociously competitive transfer market. Their view was that they simply had to sign the best players that were available to them.

The gamble was in hoping that their contribution would be so significant across the rest of the campaign that the batch of games they would miss across December and potentially January would ultimately not matter in the grander scheme of the season.

Well, as six players depart to represent their nation, that gamble looks to have paid off handsomely. 26 points is an exceptional return from 16 games, particularly in the context of how much newly-promoted sides have tended to struggle in recent seasons.