Sunderland channel spirit of Roy Keane as another late winner keeps them on course for the play-offs

A decade and a half on, a certain generation of Sunderland fans still go misty-eyed when recalling the early Roy Keane era on Wearside. One of the many things that sticks in the memory was the ability of his teams to score crucial late goals.

That sense of a side pushing right to the final whistle, winning games that looked destined for a draw or drawing games when they looked to be heading for defeat, was reminiscent of the great Manchester United teams in which Keane played under Sir Alex Ferguson and which added the term 'Fergietime' to the football lexicon. Under Keane, there was a long list of vital late goals in Sunderland's 2006-07 promotion season from the Championship, including winners at Southampton, Derby, Hull, Barnsley, and Burnley, and numerous equalisers scored in the nick of time.

It carried on the following season in the Premier League, with Sunderland scoring inside the final ten minutes to win against Spurs, Derby, West Ham, Aston Villa, and Middlesbrough, along with several late equalisers. Those points tipped the balance in both campaigns, helping Keane's side first to promotion and then to secure survival in the top flight.

In recent weeks, under Alex Neil, Sunderland have rediscovered that happy knack, and it is making all the difference in their play-off challenge. Elliot Embleton's 89th minute winner at Oxford United this weekend continued a run that has now seen the Black Cats score in the final ten minutes eight times in their last eight games - a run which has seen Sunderland win five and draw three.

Nathan Broadhead scored in injury-time to sink Gillingham last Saturday, Dan Neil and Patrick Roberts saw off basement side Crewe, Luke O'Nien and Jack Clarke did the same to Fleetwood, Ross