SUNDERLAND’S starting line-up was strikingly different, but a trip to the Reebok Stadium provided a familiar feeling of relief on Wearside.

Whether the much-needed victory for the Black Cats will hold as much significance as recent visits to Bolton remains to be seen. Steve Bruce, for one, must be hoping so.

The Reebok was the setting in May 2009 when Ricky Sbragia led the Black Cats to a goalless draw that effectively kept them in the Premier League.

Inside the dressing room afterwards Niall Quinn revealed that Ellis Short was set to complete his takeover of the club.

Later that year it was the scene of Bruce’s first competitive match in charge of Sunderland, when Darren Bent’s first goal for the club separated the two teams to give the new boss the perfect start.

Then five months ago Sunderland returned with the three points that diffused any lingering fears of relegation, paving the way for a satisfying tenth place.

On Saturday they secured a two-goal win which Bruce hopes will provide the springboard for a turnaround in fortunes and, more precisely, a climb up the Premier League table.

The personnel may be different – only Kieran Richardson has started all of those trips to Bolton, while Simon Mignolet, Stephane Sessegnon and Jack Colback were around last May.

But the outcomes have always favoured the team from Wearside and the latest success is something Bruce knows has to lead to brighter times across the board.

One win from their opening eight league games simply wasn’t good enough. The fans knew it, the players knew it and Bruce was aware the minority of fans demanding his removal was growing by the week.

But after a pretty insipid opening half, Sunderland’s second half dominance deserved to claim all three points and that was exactly what they did when Sessegnon and Nicklas Bendtner scored inside the final eight minutes.

Bendtner, one of ten new members of the Sunderland squad this season, admitted he was aware Bruce was under pressure to turn things around.

“Yeah, I was,” he simply stated. “It is all very well talking about this result and being satisfied with the three points, but we have to carry on,” he added.

“We have put a marker down and we have to try to carry that over to next weekend.

If we come out and play badly on Saturday against Aston Villa then what we have achieved here is worth nothing.

“If you looked at this season’s statistics they said it all.

We had played teams where we should have won and that affects the way supporters think.

“It looks better now after this win. We have to make sure it looks even better again next Saturday. It helps to lift everyone. Everyone is happier when you win.”

It was a nice time to face Bolton, who had lost their previous six at home and are now staring at a dreadful run of 12 defeats from their last 13 dating back to last season.

But bearing in mind Sunderland had won just four of their previous 22 league games, it was hardly a guaranteed victory in Lancashire.

The first half highlighted why both teams had been struggling to win matches.

Neither goalkeeper was forced into a real test of their ability. Passes went astray and there was an over-reliance on playing the ball long.

Bolton’s only significant chance fell to Darren Pratley, but his finish summed up Bolton’s day. Off target and lacking the quality normally associated in the Premier League.

The same, though, could have been said of Sunderland in the first half. However, after a switch of flanks for Sessegnon and Seb Larsson things suddenly clicked.

Teenager Connor Wickham, making his first start since joining from Ipswich for £8.1m, showed some nice touches and caused more and more problems for the Bolton defence as the game developed.

Richardson, Wickham, Sessegnon and the lively David Vaughan all went close with decent efforts, only to be thwarted by a combination of Jussi Jaaskelainen and his defence.

But it was fitting that the breakthrough finally arrived following a corner with eight minutes remaining.

Sunderland forced nine of them in the second half and Bolton’s failure to deal with one led to Sessegnon turning and instinctively driving low beyond Jaaskelainen’s left hand.

Bolton, who should have had an equaliser when Mignolet denied Pratley late on, had no way back when Sunderland broke away in injurytime.

Larsson fed Sessegnon, who picked out the unmarked Bendtner to side-foot low beyond Jaaskelainen.

“It’s two in two now for Sunderland and I scored for Denmark inbetween, but let’s not get carried away. It’s going great and when you win it also feels much better. I would rather we won than I scored,”

said Bendtner.

“But it’s essential that we carry this forward to the next game. The next one is major.

We have got to go into it with the same belief.

“This is the Premier League and if you don’t win week in, week out, get points on the table, you don’t climb.

“You will be in the position where we have been. This has to be just the start.”

It’s just a shame Sunderland can’t play Bolton every week.

Matchfacts

Goals: 1-0: Sessegnon (82, turned inside a crowded area and instinctively crashed a low drive beyond Jaaskelainen) 0-2: Bendtner (90, side-footed underneath Jaaskelainen after Sessegnon’s run and pass)
Bookings: Sessegnon (19, foul); Colback (67, foul)
Referee: Mike Jones (Chester): A few complaints from the Sunderland bench during the first half, but that was soon forgotten in a satisfying second period. 6
Attendance: 24, 349
Entertainment: ***

BOLTON WANDERERS (4-4-2): JAASKELAINEN 7; Boyata 5 (Gardner 54, 5), Cahill 6, Wheater 6, Robinson 4; Eagles 5, Pratley 4, Reo-Coker 4, Petrov 4 (Kakuta 66, 6); Ngog 5, Davies 4 (Klasnic 66, 5). Subs (not used): Bogdan (gk), Tuncay, Knight, M Davies.

SUNDERLAND (4-4-2):

7 Mignolet: Had a pretty quiet afternoon but made one important save from Pratley late on;
7 O’Shea: Successfully kept Petrov at bay and made a crucial headed clearance to deny Wheater in injury-time
7 Turner: Had his best game since returning from injury and never looked ruffled
6 Brown: Might have had a couple of shaky touches but overall he ensured Davies and Co never got a look in
7 Richardson: A second solid display in a row prevented Eagles from creating a lot of problems down his flank;
8 SESSEGNON: Looked intent on impressing on the wing and found his best form in the second half
8 Colback: His partnership with Vaughan may not be the tallest but they made up for a lack of size with their drive
7 Vaughan: Buzzed around all afternoon and made life difficult for Pratley and Reo-Coker
7 Larsson: After a quiet opening half, he came to life when he was switched to the right;
7 Bendtner: Showed some nice touches and took his goal well even if he was not at his best
7 Wickham: Grew in confidence as the minutes ticked by, just lacked a bit of experience in spotting a pass.

Subs
Bardsley (for Richardson 87)
Not used: Cattermole, Gardner, Ji, Meyler, Elmohamady, Westwood (gk).

MAN OF THE MATCH
STEPHANE Sessegnon – looked somewhere near to the level he was reaching during pre-season and a goal should help him in the coming weeks.