Remember 21st April 2018. For a moment, let the emotions wash over like they did that day trudging away from the Stadium of Light.
Recall the sickening feeling.
Darren Bent. Darren *sigh* Bent. The once beloved but now ex-Sunderland striker peels away after equalising, striding past the East Stand like a gazelle. More pace shown in this moment than he was able to muster in many a year.
A vivid snapshot of all that was wrong on Wearside.
Relegation. Sunderland, sink to League One following a painfully poor season and the coup de grâce by none other than Burton *deeper sigh* Albion – a footnote in what was then the beginning of the grimmest chapter in the club’s history.
Some might set aside memories like these. For others, they linger. Perhaps they should. Either way, if that moment encapsulated the club’s failures, Sunderland’s (some may say) rebirth under Régis Le Bris is a testament to now getting things right, at least on the pitch.
These are the embryonic stages of the season and recent defeat aside, the club is climbing again. As we hoped. As it must. At the time of writing it is a point shy of the Championship summit. Whether this is sustainable given the framework of the recruitment model is a different debate for another day. But scars are left from days like that Burton relegation. Painful as those memories are, they should offer perspective when winds finally shift, and sunnier days emerge from darker clouds.
So, briefly think back to April 21, 2018 – where through gritted teeth and some justified outrage – you demanded the players wearing red and white display passion, commitment and simply just ‘play for the shirt!’ In one player in particular, those qualities are finally front and centre. They will not be taken for granted.
Enter stage right – Luke O’Nien.
When he is not saving drowning dogs on Seaburn beach you may find him playing; right-back, left-back, as a six, an eight, a number 10 and now – in his more established position – that of centre-back. Sunderland’s Swiss Army Knife? Yes, but that misses the point. O’Nien is player who embodies everything we once cried out for in spades. Nominated for the Championship Player of the Month award for August, his impact on the club’s revival somewhat transcends accolades.
If those matches preceding League One decline were marred by gutless performances, O’Nien is now a stalwart of a different kind of era – a more hopeful one.
Luke O’Nien is not a natural centre-back. Believe it or not, he has come under fire from some quarters as a result. Clearly, he is not exempt from criticism. Nor should he be. Certainly, he has been responsible for conceding goals in the past, and it is likely he will be again. However, his overall effectiveness in the heart of defence cannot be dismissed – at least not based on fact. This season (with stats based on four matches played) he leads in Sunderland AFC’s open play passing with 172 successful passes, evidencing a key role in distribution. O’Nien’s accuracy (83.90%) is not the highest at the club, as shown in the table below. But, the volume and influence of those passes are making him vital to the team’s overall play.
Yet, this is not about statistics. It is not about his best position or his value in any particular role on the pitch. Instead, as stated above, this is simply about the type of player Sunderland needed after 21st April 2018.
O’Nien is the response to Burton that we demanded. His character is central to the club’s revival, embodying everything the fans stand for.
Someone who pulls on the red and white and plays like an extension of every supporter on the terraces. Remember his Terry Butcher moment at Wembley against Charlton – bandaged, bloodied, and unbreakable? He puts his head where others simply would not dare.
Those stats are impressive. But this is not the time for over-analysing his defending either. Every backline has its battles, but simply put, few players throw themselves into the fray like O’Nien. Even fewer have worn Sunderland colours in recent times. Fewer still are midfielders by trade. O’Nien simply understands what it means to represent the club, once telling supporters:
“It was clear from the start: all fans want to see is players putting their bodies on the line and trying their hardest. That’s the baseline. It’s the least I owe the club.”
Words are easily spoken. God knows we have heard faux loyalty from players in our time. As all fans do. But his actions time and time again show him to be genuine. Remember the League One play-off Final – the good one? The moment he celebrated a committed tackle like scoring a goal. He cares. It is all there on his face and in every action.
And it is not just his on-pitch antics/heroics. O’Nien’s genuine connection with fans is a rarity in the modern game. It is evidenced by every autograph, every photograph, the kind gestures that are not just for show but stem from an authenticity. It is no wonder he was named North East Football Writers’ Personality of the Year in 2021. It was well deserved.
Speaking of fans, Michael Bowers, Sunderland fan and YouTuber/podcaster, provided his own thoughts to Founded1879, on the Black Cats’ number 13: “Luke O’Nien isn’t the most flair player in football but in addition to being a beautiful shithouse, he’s technically underrated in my opinion. Obviously it’s very likely he won’t make the cut in the Premier League should he get there with Sunderland but I think he’s a very solid Championship player.”
Bowers continued: “If you think about the rise from when we signed him in League One it’s quite remarkable how he’s come on this journey with us really. He’s a massive figure in that dressing room and I don’t think the fans who don’t rate him will fully appreciate what he brings until after he leaves.”
There is much to agree with here.
On the pitch, he was Jack Ross’ “poster-boy for improvement” too. Dragged off at half-time on his debut in summer of 2018, O’Nien could have faded as a result. Certainly few expected much from him after that. But of the nine games he missed or started on the bench in his fledgling season for the Black Cats, the team won just two.
Since then, his relentless self-improvement helps drive Sunderland forward.
Such were his impressive on-field performances, he was named in 2020/21 EFL League One Team of the Season. Once the club clawed itself back to the second tier, Former Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray also sang his praises:
“He’s just a really impressive human being, and I’ve got no fears that whatever Luke chooses to do with his life after football he will be a success because he is a driven guy.”
The former Wycombe Wanderers man became Sunderland AFC’s team captain in 2023/24 taking the armband from the injured Corry Evans and despite now passing that torch to Dan Neil, he retains his club captain status – a role he has occupied since the Lee Johnson days.
Yet, despite it all, for reasons which are unclear, he is perhaps a marmite character. For some he will always be first in the queue to blame when moments in games go awry, whether the criticism is fair or not. Those with that particular mindset will never likely be swayed.
But, for the rest of us – when the ghosts of Burton reappear, look to Luke O’Nien. As Bowers reminds us, he will not be on Wearside forever.
Enjoy the player who very much embodies the fight Sunderland once lacked.
If nothing else, after 21st April, 2018, we deserve that.
Photo by Ross Johnston, RJX Media/Sunderland AFC
