Sunderland number two Steve Parkin has heaped praise on winger Chris Maguire following his stunning match-winning goal against Ipswich Town at the weekend.
The Black Cats climbed above the Tractor Boys on Saturday afternoon when Chris Maguire fired an unstoppable effort from outside the box into the bottom-left corner with just nine minutes left on the clock.
Phil Parkinson’s side were in great form heading into the weekend, with five wins in their last eight games in the league and made that six in nine as they kept out fellow promotion hopefuls Ipswich at the Stadium of Light.
Up next for the side sitting sixth in League One is the visit of Rochdale and Sunderland assistant Steve Parkin faced the media to preview the clash. He commented on the goalscoring performance of Maguire, heaping praise on the 31-year-old not only for his efforts on the ball but also his hard work in general at the Stadium of Light.
He stated to the club’s official site: “Chris Maguire has got to play with energy. When his running stats are right up there he is at his very best. He is a very talented footballer.”
Maguire certainly had a bit between his teeth as the hosts went in pursuit of the opening goal and his tireless efforts towards the latter stages of the game paid dividends for his side, as his powerful effort left Tomas Holy no chance in Ipswich’s goal.
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The verdict
It’s hefty praise for the Scottish winger but his form is justifying it at the moment as he continues to produce, hitting double figures for goals already.
On top of scoring his tenth league goal of the season, Maguire also has six assists to his name, showing how important his end-product is to Sunderland going forward.
Rotation might be on the cards for Parkinson and Parkin for tomorrow’s game against Rochdale, but it would be very hard not to start Maguire after that performance.
Going forward, his experience and guile in the final third could be a massive determining factor in where the Black Cats end up.