From finishing 16th to appointing an unknown French head coach in Regis Le Bris, predicting promotion to the Premier League would have been unthinkable.
However, teenager Tommy Watson scored a 95th-minute winner to send Sunderland up to the Premier League and deny Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium.
Tyrese Campbell had given the Blades a deserved first-half lead and Harrison Burrows would have had a second but for a video assistant referee (VAR) call for offside.
Somehow the Wearside club hung in there and equalised through Eliezer Mayenda’s fine goal on 76 minutes, only for Brighton and Hove Albion-bound Watson to score a 90+5 minutes winner.
