'Fully deserved' - Cattermole on Ballard honour
- Published
Former midfielder Lee Cattermole on Dan Ballard becoming the first Sunderland player to win the North-East Writers' Footballer of the Year award since Jermain Defoe in 2016.
"It's no surprise at all, fully deserved. He's been massive for the club since he's come. He seems to have found his home and has grown with the club. He's proven himself as a leader in the group.
"That goal against Coventry will go down in history, the roof came off. It took us into the Premier League and he's been massive in the Premier League.
"He'll see on the night there are some great names on that trophy.
"Any time you get an award as an individual - in football it's so rare - it will mean a lot to him and his family. It's great for the club."