Following a 16th-placed finish in the Championship last term, ending up a mammoth 17 points adrift of Norwich City in the lowest of the playoff spots, Sunderland commenced their quest for a top-six finish this time around with a convincing win at the home of Cardiff City in South Wales last weekend.
Donning the captain’s armband for the Black Cats with pride, Luke O’Nien opened his account for the 2024-25 campaign during the first 20 minutes, before Jack Clarke produced one of his trademark runs and strikes to double the Bluebirds’ pain in the second period.
A second-string Sunderland outfit were not as successful on their travels at Deepdale on Tuesday night, when goals from Ryan Ledson and Mads Frokjaer-Jensen secured a 2-0 victory for managerless Preston North End, who booked a spot in the second round of this year’s EFL Cup.
Owing to an opening-weekend triumph at the Cardiff City Stadium, the Black Cats are currently occupying fifth position in the very early Championship standings, although they are set to drop out of the playoff positions prior to their fixture on Sunday due to the rest of the division playing on either Friday or Saturday.
Representing a massive signal of intent from the North-East giants, Sunderland announced significant player-related news in the build-up to Sunday’s clash, with Premier League-linked Jobe Bellingham signing an extension to his terms at the Stadium of Light, where is now contracted until the summer of 2028.
After miraculously escaping relegation last season at the expense of Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United, Sheffield Wednesday are now on a mission to compete at the top end of the Championship this time around, with their opening fixture providing plenty of cause for optimism.
The Owls were the biggest winners on the first weekend of the new second-tier campaign, beating Wayne Rooney‘s Plymouth Argyle 4-0 at a raucous Hillsborough, where the hosts recorded a staggering 33 shots and 4.68 expected goals over the course of a dominant 90-minute display.
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Making his competitive debut for Sheffield Wednesday following a summer switch from Premier League Bournemouth, Jamal Lowe found the net against the helpless Green Army in front of a jubilant home crowd, marking his 300th league career appearance in goalscoring fashion.
It was the turn of another new Owls marksman to steal the headlines on Wednesday night, when a brilliant brace from ex-Manchester United youngster Charlie McNeill secured Sheffield Wednesday’s safe passage into the second round of the EFL Cup at the expense of Championship rivals Hull City.
Before a winnable-looking tie in that competition at League Two Grimsby Town on August 27, Danny Rohl‘s side face back-to-back Championship tests against sides who will be targeting promotion to the Premier League in the form of Sunderland and Daniel Farke‘s Leeds United.
