Robin Roefs hails belief as Sunderland eye something special

Robin Roefs believes Sunderland are building towards something far greater than survival after the Black Cats came from behind to defeat Crystal Palace at the Stadium of Light.

The Sunderland goalkeeper admitted a clean sheet on his birthday would have been ideal, but insisted the result itself mattered far more as his side showed resilience and belief to claim all three points in front of their home support.

Sunderland were forced to respond after falling behind early, but Roefs felt their reaction spoke volumes about the group’s mentality.

“Before the game, I said I wanted a clean sheet and a win. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the clean sheet, but I guess the win is more important,” Roefs said. “I’m just so happy with the guys, the way they responded to Palace scoring the first goal. By the end of the game, we were the better team and deserved all three points.”

The victory extended Sunderland’s strong home form and reinforced their growing confidence under head coach Régis Le Bris.

Roefs reserved special praise for match-winner Brian Brobbey, whose powerful second-half finish sealed the comeback and marked his fourth league goal of the season.

The performance was watched by Netherlands assistant coach Erwin Koeman, adding extra significance to Brobbey’s display.

“Brian is so important to us right now,” Roefs said. “He is so good at holding the ball up, such a great outlet for the team, and now he is starting to score goals.”

Roefs also underlined the physical challenge Brobbey poses for defenders.

“I don’t think there can be any defender happy to come up against him. He must be a nightmare to play against because of that strength.”

Despite Sunderland sitting comfortably clear of the relegation zone, Roefs dismissed any suggestion that standards might drop.

“There was never any chance of us taking the foot off the gas,” he said. “Especially at home, we know how good we are, and it is up to us to keep pushing.”

With the Black Cats edging closer to the 40-point mark, Roefs insisted ambition inside the squad has always gone beyond simply staying up.

“Yes, we feel we can do something really special,” he added. “Even at the start of the season, no one was talking about just doing enough to survive. Every game we play, we aim to win.”

Roefs pointed to Sunderland’s ability to recover from adversity as a defining trait.

Despite Sunderland sitting comfortably clear of the relegation zone, Roefs dismissed any suggestion that standards might drop.

“There was never any chance of us taking the foot off the gas,” he said. “Especially at home, we know how good we are, and it is up to us to keep pushing.”

With the Black Cats edging closer to the 40-point mark, Roefs insisted ambition inside the squad has always gone beyond simply staying up.

“Yes, we feel we can do something really special,” he added. “Even at the start of the season, no one was talking about just doing enough to survive. Every game we play, we aim to win.”

Roefs pointed to Sunderland’s ability to recover from adversity as a defining trait.

Sunderland will look to carry this momentum into their next fixtures as belief continues to grow under Régis Le Bris. With performances backing up results, attention is starting to shift from survival to how high the Black Cats can realistically climb.

Are Sunderland quietly becoming one of the Premier League’s most dangerous momentum teams?