SAFC ace Darren Bent is still over the moon

Oct 3 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

DARREN Bent recognises that he might have to get used to more evening meals being ruined if he maintains his red-hot scoring record for Sunderland.

Bent, who is averaging a goal every game for the Black Cats since his club-record move from Spurs, was mooned by a couple of Newcastle United fans last Saturday while having dinner with his dad in the run-up to the Wolves game.

It was a not a particularly pleasant surprise for the striker, although the new darling of the Stadium of Light insists the banter between rival North East fans remains “harmless fun” to him.

And he won’t let it detract from his burgeoning love affair with a region that many of his London-based colleagues simply won’t move to. “I love the North East and Sunderland – and the bonus is it’s not even as cold as I thought,” he said.

“I got mooned in a restaurant with my dad last Saturday night. I live in Gateshead and they must have gone past me – on a high because they won – and started pulling moonies at me!

“What made it worse was there was an old couple sitting by the window and they looked horrified! I don’t think they knew what was going on.

“It’s all harmless fun though. If they’d have come into the restaurant and done it it would have been a different matter. When I go into Newcastle city centre I get the odd comment, but it’s all part and parcel of football.

“When I lived in London there were plenty of teams and I didn’t really get that, but there are two teams here and everyone is so passionate.”

Bent’s form has soared since moving to Sunderland, where Steve Bruce has moulded an attack around his hard-working forward.

“I needed someone to believe in me and to play games on a consistent basis. To be fair to Steve Bruce, he’s given me games and hopefully I’m repaying him,” he said.

“The fans’ support is appreciated as well. For the last two years I’ve not had that – I think before I went to Tottenham I wasn’t sure if the Spurs fans wanted me there.

“I’ve left that now though and put it behind me. The fans here are fantastic.”

Sunderland travel to Old Trafford today for the first of their meetings with the ‘big four’ on the road, with Bent adamant that there is more to come from the new-look side.

“There’s much more to come. We haven’t hit our top form on a consistent basis,” he said.