THE celebrations had only just begun on the Stadium of Light pitch after Sunderland's 2-1 win over Leicester had guaranteed a return to the Premier League when manager Mick McCarthy made a swift exit.

He'd joined his players to salute the fans on the lap of honour and then he was off to spend a quiet moment with the person whom he freely admits has to bear the brunt of his moods - good and bad.

Luckily that person wasn't Sean Thornton, whose celebrations in the dressing room included an attempted rap that certainly won't have Eminem quaking in his boots.

A little less than 12 months ago McCarthy and his wife Fiona headed off to America to 'enjoy' a hard-earned holiday after a Sunderland season that promised so much ended with the heartbreak of a penalty shoot-out defeat to Crystal Palace in the play-offs.

The Black Cats boss admitted the break was supposed to help him put the despair of losing to the club who eventually went on to achieve promotion behind him - it failed!

The visit to the land of the free and the home of the brave did little to free him of the of the injustice he felt at going out in the play-offs in such a cruel manner, or help him accept the brave efforts of his Sunderland squad to return to the top flight at the first attempt had come to nothing.

Saturday April 23, 2005 will live long in McCarthy's memory as the day he steered Sunderland back to the Premier League but the most important date in the 46-year-old's life remains May 24, 1980, when he married his childhood sweetheart.

Undoubtedly there was a tear in McCarthy's eye that day, and there were a few shed on Saturday at the Stadium of Light.

McCarthy said: "She's probably missed two games all season - she got the really sharp end of it when we lost to Palace.

"I was walking around America with her for two weeks and we'd try and go for a beer and my language wasn't really choice for a couple of weeks, and I think perhaps she might have thought about flying home a couple of occasions.

"She's still with me and she deserved a hug and a kiss and that's who I wanted it off.

"You have to enjoy the good times because the bad times are awful. I don't feel as happy and as elated and delighted as I felt in despair when we lost to Palace.

"It's unbelievable when you've had real disappointments. It doesn't compare with the depths of despair I felt last year.

"But I'll enjoy this."

McCarthy, however, readily admitted he didn't enjoy the 90 plus minutes that preceded their promotion - the stress and strain of willing your side on from the sidelines proved a far from enjoyable experience.

The game itself was a great viewing with Leicester playing their full part in proceedings. After Marcus Stewart had screwed wide when unmarked in the box in the opening 60 seconds, the Foxes even shocked their hosts by taking a fifth minute lead with the Black Cats defence going to sleep after a forward move had broken down.

Full back Alan Maybury overlapped and was superbly found by Danny Tiatto as he raced toward the left hand side of the penalty area.

Stephen Wright was just behind Maybury and decided against bringing him down, and the left back curled a right-footed effort round Ben Alnwick and in-off the post to give the young keeper no chance.

Not a particular auspicious start for the 18-year-old goalkeeper making his league debut, but he was soon to prove his worth with a good stop from David Connolly and then an even better save to deny Mark de Vries.

The Leicester striker's first effort was blocked and when he eventually shot Alnwick was lying prone on the ground but somehow shot out his right leg to divert the effort over the bar.

Liam Lawrence tested Ian Walker's reflexes forcing the former England keeper into a full length save, and then fired just wide from an acute angle on the right side of the box.

Another goal seemed imminent but it was a question of at which end would it come?

The answer arrived in the 23rd minute with the Black Cats breaking at speed allowing the impressive Chris Brown the time and space to set up strike-partner Stewart whose cross shot from ten yards was too good for Walker.

Stefan Moore came on for the injured de Vries on 25 minutes and proved a more that adequate replacement. Four minutes after coming on he turned the home defence on halfway before setting up Stephen Hughes only for Wright to pull off a great saving challenge.

Brown and Stewart both went close before the break but the real action arrived in the second-half.

Walker pulled off a great save from as Stewart headed goalwards in the 53rd minute then an already tetchy game threatened to boil over.

Brown and Dion Dublin clashed for the umpteenth time with the former Aston Villa man - playing as a centre-back - guilty of a crude challenge on the youngster.

Brown stupidly reacted and the two players went head to head before McCarthy dragged his player off the pitch.

Referee Mike Jones opted just to book both players and McCarthy admitted he'd stepped in to ensure the promotion party wasn't spoiled by a sending off.

"For one he (Brown) was on a silver prize if he fights with Dion Dublin, let me tell you," said McCarthy. "It might be better me fighting Dion than Brownie.

"For two I didn't want two sendings off and I think the referee handled it brilliantly.

"How many times have we seen them handing out two reds without consulting the linesman, but he did.

"They could have both gone but I was kind of protecting him. If he had got sent off then he'd have rather been fighting Dion Dublin than facing my wrath."

As the hour mark approached nerves around the stadium, on the bench and on the pitch started to fray as promotion thoughts turned to West Ham on Friday night.

Then a pinpoint corner from Lawrence found the head of Steve Caldwell who planted his effort firmly into the far corner.

A fraught last half hour then gave way to an even more fraught three minute wait as the result from Elland Road was confirmed as Leeds United 1 Ipswich Town 1 and the celebrations really began.

There were 71 text messages on McCarthy's mobile phone by 7pm on Saturday night and he was certain there would be one from former Black Cats' boss Peter Reid.

"I'd bet next week's wages there will be (a message from Reid)," said McCarthy

"There'd be nobody more happy for me than Peter Reid."

Fiona may beg to differ.

Result: Sunderland 2 Leicester City 1.

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