Not the most popular Sunderland player of the last couple of seasons, with one thing or another, Paulo Di Canio actually declared Bardsley would never play for Sunderland again - wrongly, as it tuerned out. If the Italian had remained in charge that may well have been the case, but when his successor, Gus Poyet arrived, he could see that Bardsley had the gumption lacking in Sunderland up to that point. Originally a signing of Roy Keanes, after a reasonable start he fell a little out of favour and Steve Bruce signed a right full back with Bardsley struggling for form. However, when necessity forced Bruces hand, Bardsley was pigeonholed into the problem void at left-back, and the right footed full back thrived for the season making the birth his own. Unlike with Chris Makin though, it was never going to be a permanent thing. Nevertheless, Bardsley had proved a point and was back in contention on his favoured right flank. In his final two seasons on Wearside the club twice narrowly avoided relegation due to shot shy midfielders and strikers, Bardsley added a goal scoring side to his game. It was Bardsley that Sunderland cheered in the dying stages at Old Trafford in extra-time of the League Cup semi-final scoring a squirming effort which caught out the United keeper with the Black Cats only shot on target. United would force penalties as the goal-scorers mind was on the final, but days later he would help taunt Newcastle in the opening stages as Sunderland recorded another famous victory over the black and whites. Hopefully, theyll be the two abiding memories of Sunderlands record Premier League appearance maker and not his words or the image of him on the floor of a casino.
