Anton Ferdinand even more determined

Oct 5 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

ANTON Ferdinand vowed to bounce back from his Old Trafford own-goal misery – and prove he has a future at Sunderland.

The recalled Ferdinand diverted Patrice Evra’s injury-time drive into his own goal as the Black Cats were denied a deserved victory at the home of the Premier League champions. It was harsh on the defender who, in tandem with the excellent Michael Turner, had repelled everything Manchester United had thrown at him and proved a point after being dropped by Steve Bruce earlier in the season.

Ferdinand (pictured left) did admit the last two weeks had been difficult for him but was happy to respond with a performance that proved his worth to Bruce’s squad – and said that he was “determined” to get over his latest set-back.

“It’s taken the gloss of things, but that’s football,” he said. “What happened in the final minutes will just make me even more determined to show what type of character I am. It’s been a tough two weeks. I was left out of the team last week and could have sulked, but I didn’t.

“I showed what type of a person I am and got on with it. I came off the bench last week and did okay, and thankfully the gaffer put me back in for a big game. I thank him for that,

and I’d like to think I took my chance with both hands, which is what I wanted to do. People were looking at me to see how I would react, and I think I reacted in the right way. I showed everyone that I do want a future at this club.”

With the ball heading out for a goal-kick, Ferdinand’s decision to throw a boot at Evra’s shot was a split-second call. And the defender said that he had “no choice” – because he did not know who was behind him.