Sunderland captain Corry Evans had a bit of a slow start to this season as he struggled with injuries but since finding fitness he has been able to make 30 league appearances this season, performing well.
His recent performances, which included a goal against Oxford United earlier this month, have led to him getting lots of praise including being named an unsung hero, but the 31-year-old believes he is just benefiting from a run of games as he told the Chronicle: "At the start of the season and throughout it was a bit stop-start with the injuries and it just took a bit of a while to get going.
"I missed a large chunk of pre-season and I think any professional footballer knows that when you miss that through whatever reason it takes a while to get your rhythm going again.
"As the manager has come in I've played a lot of games and a lot of minutes and am reaping the rewards of that now."
Despite receiving praise lately, Evans has faced his critics this season too but he doesn't let it affect him as he says: "It's all part and parcel of football and I've been through it all before. It gets to this stage of the season now and that's where you need the experienced players to come through.
"We have a good mix in the changing room and it goes to show the team and type of squad that we have when we've won by late goals. We'll keep going with that never say die attitude and it's important to have that, especially in these rounds of games."
The Verdict:
Corry Evans has not had the easiest season this year and has faced a fair bit of criticism.
You can understand why the 31-year-old doesn't want the label of the 'unsung hero' as such but he also has a great point that naturally with increased game time and fitness, his performances were bound to improve.
Evans is old enough and knows the game well enough to be able to block out a lot of what is said about him and rather focus on the task of getting his side to the play-offs.
With Sunderland outside the play-offs as it stands on goal difference by just one goal, the captain will have his full attention on his side's game against Cambridge on Saturday in the hope that they will be able to get three points and rise back into the top six.