TRAGIC DEPATURE: Among the six senior players is an ex-Sunderland defender Sheffield Wednesday has terminated its contract because they are being given fresh opportunities.

It’s often said that the Sunderland shirt is a ‘heavy’ one. To wear it is a privilege but the intensity of the club means it also brings with it real pressure.

Some footballers grow taller in it, others can shrink. There was a time when you didn’t quite know which way it would go with Corry Evans. He had been a steady presence in the side after joining from Blackburn Rovers but when it looked as if yet another League One promotion push was falling by the wayside, the criticism he faced was often intense. It didn’t last. Evans established himself as a vital player in Alex Neil’s team, a leader and calming presence in the XI that dealt with its soft

centre and ground their way to Wembley glory.  Evans can leave with the satisfaction of a job well done. His last campaign on Wearside was blighted by injury but he did what he came to do, to help haul Sunderland back to the Championship and stabilise them there.