Lewis Morgan’s form at Sunderland has only just started to pick up, but last night provided him with a real boost.
The Scotland international hadn’t scored or assisted a goal in any of his first five Black Cats appearances. Filtering in and out of the team, time has been running out for Morgan to make an impact.
But last night he stepped up to bag a fine first goal for the club. Sunderland beat Bristol Rovers 2-0 away from home to secure their place in the Checkatrade Trophy final against Portsmouth. That match will be played on Sunday, 31st March – giving Morgan a chance to feature at Wembley.
This follows on from his first assist for the club against Plymouth last weekend. For the first time in Morgan’s loan spell in League One, he has some momentum behind him.
You can watch the highlights of Sunderland’s win and Morgan’s goal below.
Sunderland remain third in League One in their push for promotion to the Championship. They still remain just two points off second place with a game in-hand. The Black Cats are well in the hunt for automatic promotion before the campaign comes to a finish.
But more importantly for us, it’s something for Morgan to build on. A cup final appearance at Wembley and a big promotion run-in is exactly the kind of pressure the former St Mirren youngster will have to get used to.
With Brendan Rodgers’ departure too, there are spots up for grabs at Celtic next season. Whether it’s Neil Lennon or an alternative, the likes of Morgan will be on a clean slate. Building on this performance, therefore, is essential.
So far it’s been a relatively frustrating time in the North East. Morgan has still yet to play a full 90 minutes down south since his January move, but he’ll be feeling good about himself at this point.
With news yesterday that Scott Sinclair could leave on a free at the end of the season, Morgan could be one of the few natural left-wingers left at Parkhead.
But that’ll mean nothing if he doesn’t keep performing between now and the end of the campaign.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
