Jermain Defoe was overwhelmed after picking up the Supporters’ Player of the Year award on Monday evening.
The striker faced healthy competition from a number of players within the Sunderland ranks, but after scoring 16 goals – and counting – during his first full season with the club he was the standout nominee.
But although Defoe was pleased to pick up the award, he insisted the hard work is far from over as the Black Cats look to secure their Barclays Premier League status.
“I’m happy because this is an award that comes from the supporters,” said Defoe. “The fans appreciating your hard work throughout the season means a lot to me.
“It’s my first full season at the club and when I got the call to come here I got so excited, as all I wanted to do was come here, score goals, express myself and show the fans how good I am.”
He added: “When you come to a football club, especially one this size, you just want to leave a legacy and you want to come back one day after you’ve retired and feel welcome.
“You want the fans to appreciate you and appreciate all the work that you put in, so it’s a great feeling because it’s not always easy to come into a new club and hit the ground running.
“That was my main focus in pre-season and I wanted to score loads of goals, and I’ve been delighted with the amount I’ve scored but the work isn’t done and we have four massive games.
“The goals are needed more than ever now.”
