Sunderland fans will always remember one season pretty bloody fondly.
Back in 1999-2000, something utterly absurd happened: Kevin Phillips won the European Golden Shoe.
Back then, Sunderland were a very handy Premier League side, and finished seventh that term, but the fact that Thierry Henry, Dwight Yorke and Ronaldo Nazario and Raul were all firing on all cylinders that year, Phillips’s achievement is absolutely incredible.
Phillips, a lethal finisher, incredibly scored 30 Premier League goals that term, deservedly writing his name into the history books.
Peter Reid’s team finished above Leicester, Tottenham, West Ham, Everton and Newcastle that year, and missed out on the Intertoto Cup qualification on goal difference to Aston Villa.
The club’s shirt was a beauty too. Sponsored by Reg Vardy, the red-and-white striped never looked better on the Asics-sponsored shirts.
The likes of Niall Quinn, Michael Gray and Thomas Sorensen propelled that side to something special, with Phillips the stand-out player.
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