Sunderland off bottom thanks to Van Aanholt strike

And yet Sunderland somehow scrape around with a nothing recruitment policy, and now with a manager not best pleased to learn he has nothing to spend in January — the club’s debt is £140m and Ellis Short, the owner, has had enough of bankrolling things — and find enough to stay up, beating Watford with a goal from Patrick van Aanholt that lifted them off the bottom of the table.

“I was going to give you all a Christmas present… a DVD of that game!” joked the manager David Moyes. “None of you look happy!” There were nervous laughs.

It was never pretty, but it rarely is. Sunderland, under Moyes, looked dead and buried — an admittedly familiar feeling when October finished with just two draws from 10 Premier League games.

Since then, however, a remarkable team spirit, or good fortune, or the indifference of opposition, or the growing influence of Moyes (take your pick) has fashioned the most unlikely, and yet paradoxically predictable of fightbacks. You really cannot write off a football club that has made an art form of hanging on.

Seven games have been played since and yesterday’s victory, after a dreadful first half, was the fourth victory. Bournemouth, Hull, Leicester and now Watford have provided the springboard for hope, or even for the man in charge of the PA to blast out Jackie Wilson’s I Get The Sweetest Feeling. The unrest of a club lurching towards chaos was forgotten. If there is a Sunderland way this is it.

Watford should have been ahead by half-time. There were fine chances for Walter Mazzarri’s side. Nordin Amrabat fired an excellent volley goalwards in the second minute. Jordan Pickford, a rising star, was at full stretch to tip the effort over. These can be season-changing saves. Odion Ighalo went close, Miguel Britos headed over a fine chance and Sebastian Prodl was similarly wasteful in front of goal.

“It was disappointing,” said Mazzarri. “The main reason is because the way we played we cannot miss all the chances we created. If you miss the chances you can get punished.”

Only in added time at the end of the first half did Sunderland fashion a chance, Heurelho Gomes denying Van Aanholt’s angled shot. The Watford goalkeeper would be less successful four minutes into the second half, when Adnan Januzaj broke and found Jermain Defoe whose cross was eventually forced in by Van Aanholt off a post.

That was enough for another victory, to create more belief that Sunderland might again have enough to at least make a fight of staying in a division they often look hell-bent on getting out of.

It was their game after that. Defoe, the reborn Victor Anichebe and Lamine Kone all went close. At the death, Pickford again stood strong, a player growing immensely in confidence to deny first Daryl Janmaat and then Ighalo. Pickford is north-east born. He will understand the way the club goes about staying up better than most.

“I’m thrilled to get the win,” said Moyes. “It was really important to get the win for the players and the club and for us to stay in touch. Look, there were bits not as nice as a I like, but we stuck at it and there was lots of resilience. We have a small group of players, we needed them, a small staff and the fans and we must all stay together.”

Star man: Jordan Pickford (Sunderland)