Ross Stewart bags brace as five-goal Sunderland ease past Cheltenham to go top

Posted Wednesday, September 29, 2021 by PA

Sunderland moved to the top of Sky Bet League One by brushing Cheltenham aside 5-0 at the Stadium of Light.

Bailey Wright’s 11th-minute opener was followed by a first-half brace from Ross Stewart to put the Black Cats firmly in charge.

The hosts wrapped up a sixth-straight home win of the season when Luke O’Nien and substitute Leon Dajaku found the net inside two second-half minutes.

Wright rose above those around him to head Sunderland in front from Aiden McGeady’s corner.

Carl Winchester’s pass was left by Nathan Broadhead, making his first league start since arriving on loan from Everton, and Stewart side-footed the ball beyond goalkeeper Scott Flinders for the second.

The third arrived when McGeady’s pass left Stewart with all the time to pick his spot from eight yards to grab his seventh of the season.

McGeady and Broadhead were denied a fourth before the break and the latter had the first two chances after the restart too as Cheltenham struggled to create anything.

Then O’Nien and Dajaku found the net in the 65th and 66th minutes, respectively, with tidy finishes from inside the area to cap an impressive night.