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Roker Round-Up: Strikers Buzzing; Advocaat To Stay?

What's the Sunderland stories catching the eye today?

Paul Thomas/Getty Images

Danny Graham admits he hasn't a clue how he broke his Sunderland duck, but he couldn't be happier about his perfectly-timed strike. He told the Sunderlad Echo:It was a bit surreal, to be honest, the way it went in.

I don't know how it managed to spin like that and go in off the far post. But I'm delighted to get that first goal and hopefully I can kick on now.

I've said before that I'm probably the fittest and sharpest I've been since I've been at the club. I have to thank the medical staff with the gym work and stuff.

Hopefully this can kick-start my Sunderland career. I've said before that it's been a tough couple of years, I can't hide from that.

But I've been playing well in the last couple of weeks and helped to win the two penalties against Southampton. The gaffer kept his faith in me and kept me up there.

I'm delighted to get the goal obviously, even though there was a big slice of luck. I'll take that though!

Meanwhile, fellow Goodison Park goalscorer Jermain Defoe says that Sunderland have piled the pressure on rivals at the bottom with back-to-back wins.

We still have an important game next week (at home to Leicester), but it is back-to-back wins and we are delighted to have done it.

I think it has added a bit more pressure on the sides around us now.

There was a lot of pressure on us to get a result and we handled that and that is credit to everyone at the club.

We were solid, organised and patient as this is a difficult place to come. It was never going to be easy, so to win here 2-0 was credit to the players.

It was impressive to get the result - it doesn't matter how you do it. There was a lot of pressure in a must-win game and we can go home happy.

Will Dick Advocaat still be Sunderland manager next season, though? Well, the Telegraph says yes, he wants it. The Guardian says no, he doesn't, and the rest are sticking with 'mebbies'.

Advocaat himself admits this will be his last job and seems very relaxed about it. Replying to a question about reports from Holland that his wife would prevent him from staying longer, he joked: "No, no, no I get a divorce!"

So, your guess is as good as ours, really!

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