Sunderland have been a breath of fresh air in the Championship this season and they have been able to kick on in promising fashion despite the unsettling departure of Alex Neil.

Tony Mowbray appears to be a very smart appointment at this stage, and the former Middlesbrough manager is a far better and more sophisticated tactician than he gets credit for.

Blackburn Rovers were on the cusp of a play-off finish and even flirted with the automatic promotion picture last season, having sold arguably their best player in Adam Armstrong, and not sourced a replacement in the summer of 2021.

Mowbray's expertise and depth of knowledge in bringing the best out of a very different squad than the one currently on Wearside shone through, and in the end Rovers' poor finishing and a dip in their defensive resilience saw them miss out on the top six altogether.

Given the way that they have started the campaign, it now feels like there is a realistic chance that Sunderland can stay the course and compete for a top six spot this season.

They have had issues at the top of the pitch in terms of injuries to Ellis Simms and Ross Stewart, but the former's is not set to be long term while Alex Pritchard, Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke are all very capable of contributing.

Pritchard is a known quantity in the second tier and has had a lot of success in his career, but Clarke, who was signed permanently in the summer following a successful loan spell, could be the player who captures the imagination in the North East this season.

The 21-year-old really struggled to make an impact after signing for Tottenham Hotspur from Leeds United in the summer of 2019, and loan spells at Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City did not live up to expectations.

However, with Alex Neil often deploying Clarke at left wing back in the Black Cats' promotion push last season, Clarke's dribbling ability was able to come to the fore and set the tone for what has been an excellent start to life on Wearside.

Mowbray went with a back four in Sunderland's most recent fixture, a 2-2 draw at newly relegated Watford, but that was mainly due to a lack of striking options, returning to a three at the back formation with Clarke deployed in an attacking wing back role is the club's best bet to stay the course at the top end of the table.

A return to the Premier League in the future does not look too far away, and should he sustain the sky-high performance levels he has shown in the first ten games of the season, Clarke may well be a key figure in Sunderland's return to the top-flight in the not too distant future.