AIDEN McGEADY IS keen to move on from his Sunderland nightmare as he aims to help the club achieve promotion back to the Championship.
The 34-year-old winger, who had been absent from the team for over a year before returning last month, has now scored in each of the Black Cats’ last two games.
He was frozen out by Phil Parkinson after “a disagreement” between the pair, which led to the Republic of Ireland international spending the second half of last season on loan at Charlton Athletic.
Following Parkinson’s sacking as manager, McGeady – who had been condemned to U23 duty at Sunderland – was immediately restored to first-team duty by successor Lee Johnson.
“Football can change very quickly,” McGeady said in an interview posted on the club’s official website ahead of tomorrow’s game at AFC Wimbledon. “It was a very quick turn of events, from being in the U23s to starting against Wigan in the first game he [Johnson] took.
“I’ve obviously got to give the manager a lot of thanks for that because he could have come in and not done what he’s done and just kept me where I was. But he’s given me a clean slate and so far I’ve been playing under him and enjoying my football again, which is the main thing.”
McGeady, who has been on Sunderland’s books since July 2017, added: “There’s no point in dwelling on the past. What has went on has went on, I can’t turn back time.
“But even from when I was first put in the U23s, I still maintained I wanted to stay and help the team. That’s all I wanted to do, but I wasn’t given the chance to do that. Now I am, and that’s all I wanted.”
Currently undefeated in six games across all competitions, Sunderland lie in 10th place in League One, three points adrift of a play-off place.
McGeady, who was last capped by Ireland in November 2017, is hoping to play a part as the Stadium of Light outfit bid to end a three-year stay in the third tier of English football.
He said: “If we go on a good run of games before the end of the season there’s no reason we can’t be in the mix – and that’s the bare minimum.”
