ONE by one Sunderland's starting line-up walked out of the dressing room ahead of kick-off, leaving behind the substitutes who had chosen to enjoy a massage.

Michael Bridges was one of those and he will make sure a rub down becomes the norm for every game from now on.

Footballers are a superstitious bunch. Lucky pants, touching goalposts and a hand on the club badge are among many players' pre-match rituals. It would be no surprise now if Bridges makes an appointment with Sunderland masseur, Michael Holland, a regular part of his match preparations.

Four-and-a-half-years after scoring for Leeds United, the 26-year-old striker finally brought a depressing and incredible run without a goal to an end at Stoke City on Saturday.

Just eight minutes after entering the pitch, he headed in the winning goal that has increased Sunderland's chances of automatic promotion and clinched the club's sixth win in seven games.

Was Bridges surprised that it was him who scored? Or that his long search for a goal has finally found success? No. Why? The masseur, who may now have a few regular requests for the lottery numbers, told him it was going to happen.

"I waited around after the players had gone out of the dressing room for a rub with Mick," explained Bridges. "He has never said anything like it before, but he told me 'I had a dream last night. We are going to win 1-0 today and you're going to score'. I said good one Mick. It came true, unbelievable."

Since arriving for a second spell at Sunderland - where his career began before making a £5m move to Elland Road in 1999 - he has had to be patient and has only made one start for McCarthy. That game ended in a 2-0 defeat at Millwall, Sunderland's only reversal in ten matches.

Bridges sees the chance to play for the Black Cats as an opportunity to prove to himself, the clubs who have doubted in him the past and the rest of the country that he still has the ability to be one of the top strikers in the country.

After scoring 21 league goals in his first season at Leeds, his career took a turn for the worse after he spent a number of years on the sidelines with calf, Achilles and knee injuries restricting his four seasons in Yorkshire to just 61 starts.

A loan spell at Newcastle proved unsuccessful in January and a summer move to Bolton ended with him moving to Wearside without as much as a first team bow.

But when he pounced onto Darren Carter's header back across goal, after Liam Lawrence's corner at the Britannia Stadium, Bridges grabbed his first goal in a Sunderland shirt since December 28, 1998 and the only time he has found the net at all since playing for Leeds in May 2000. And when talking to him you get the sense the wait this time around will not be as painful.

"I don't know what the hell happened. All I know is that Darren put it back and I was one yard out to put the ball over the line," said the man from North Shields. "I've been desperate to get one at the Stadium of Light and that's got to be next but this has got me off the mark now.

"It was well worth the wait. I don't remember my last goal for Sunderland, all I know is it's nice to break my duck now.

"It's been a drought but I've been injured a lot and I've been coming on in games to try to turn them.

"I haven't had that many games but this has given me a massive boost in confidence.

"I've been getting stick off some of the lads but I'm jumping up and down now.

"I've a had a great reception since coming back and I want to do my best for them because I had so many good years when I was a young lad. It's just nice to repay them with a goal."

The game at Stoke had threatened to end in a dour goalless draw. Both defences had worked hard on stifling the threat of the forwards. With centre-backs Gary Breen and Steve Caldwell making Gifton Noel-Williams and Carl Asaba resemble cart-horses.

Nine-goal frontman Stephen Elliott had gone closest for the visitors but was stopped from breaking the deadlock by the home side's South Shields-born and Sunderland fan Steve Simonsen on a couple of occasions.

Stoke's marauding right-back John Halls caused McCarthy's side problems down the left, while his tough tactics managed to restrict the quick feet of Julio Arca, who was only allowed to show his silky touches out of the danger area.

And, like during the win over Ipswich six days earlier, the introduction of Chris Brown and later Bridges provided Sunderland with the spark to secure their sixth victory in seven games - an achievement that has pushed them to within a point of the top two.

And Bridges, after turning in the winner with a brave low header seven minutes from time, could have added more to his name shortly after. Simonsen turned a right foot shot behind and then the forward's acrobatical kick led to the ball flying high over the bar.

First team opportunities may have been limited for Bridges since making his second debut for the club at Leeds on September 24, but he has hopes now of more games and more goals as he attempts to push Sunderland all the way back to the Premiership.

Now, a little like London buses, don't bet against a second arriving for the former England prospect against West Ham next Saturday, when a little rub from Mr Holland may be high on his agenda that day.

Result: Stoke City 0 Sunderland 1.