Fresh from promotion and booming with confidence after strolling to the old Division One title, Sunderland were about to embark on only their second ever Premier League campaign. The goals of Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn had propelled the Black Cats back to the big time and their supporters were expecting them to fair better than they did in the 1996/97 relegation season. Before a ball had even been kicked Rodney Marsh claimed Phillips would struggle to score six goals all season. He equalled that tally by September on the way to scoring 30 and becoming the first Englishman to win the European Golden Boot award. Peter Reid’s side finished a very respectable seventh that season but just missed out on European qualification.
