'We have to ensure we don't waste the opportunity to progress'
[BBC] [Getty Images] Not playing over the Easter break was a strange feeling, considering it is the first time (I think! ) in my lifetime that Sunderland have ever had to sit it out. If we had actually turned up at Port Vale in the last round, then we would possibly have been at Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea, but we did not, so we were not.
Instead, our players and supporters enjoyed an extended break. The players could get themselves back in the Academy of Light as we build up to the visit of Spurs to the Stadium of Light. While I could not help but look on with envy as Southampton and Leeds reached the semi-finals, it did allow me some time to reflect on the journey this club has been on.
In particular, I was looking at goings-on in the Championship over the weekend and I was incredibly thankful that we are no longer a part of that whole circus anymore. Middlesbrough fans must be tearing their hair out - they had automatic promotion right in the palm of their hand, and it looks like they are going to blow it. It is more likely that Ipswich or Millwall will take their place, and I never really fancy the chances of the team who drop away from the top two when it comes to the play-offs.
You need momentum, and they certainly do not have it. It is a reminder of just how brutal it is trying to claw your way out of the EFL. Sunderland's promotion story was a complete fairytale, and I completely understand that the path we took is not a particularly well-trodden one - there were many sliding-door moments during last season where things could have easily gone in a different direction, and I am so incredibly thankful that we somehow got the job done.
We have had a brilliant season in the Premier League and we have to ensure that we do not waste the opportunity to progress. I never want to see us back in the EFL ever again, because with each passing year it gets harder and harder to escape it, and the test now for Sunderland's hierarchy is to ensure that we keep on improving to the point where our foundations are solid, and we can withstand just about anything. As much as I enjoyed last season's journey, I hope we never have to go through that much stress and drama ever again!