Dennis Cirkin lifts lid on injury frustrations admitting: 'It's been really difficult'

Unlikely Sunderland hero Dennis Cirkin admits he has found it ‘very difficult’ to cope with his injuries this season, but he is determined to focus on what is in front of him rather than looking back.

Cirkin scored two second-half goals at West Brom as Sunderland came from behind to secure a 2-1 win that pushed Sunderland into a Championship play-offs place.

It was a spectacular return for Cirkin, who suffered a concussion at Millwall in February and struggled to overcome the effects of it.

That injury cost him seven games in total, and an knee problem earlier in the season saw him forced to sit out another six.

Asked about his injury problems this season, Cirkin admitted: “It’s been really difficult.

“Last year playing so many games and this year having a lot of injuries, I feel like a lot of them were out of my control as well so it’s been a bit of a waiting game.

“I feel like I take every day by every day, coming back to score, who knows I don’t really look back and just think about the next day.

“If it wasn’t for the injuries maybe I wouldn’t have helped the team win by scoring.”

Cirkin has played just 1,886 minutes of Sunderland’s season meaning his has missed the majority of the campaign. As a comparison, in his first season for the club last year he amassed 3.304' minutes of action.

That has led to understandably frustration on his part, although considering his recent prowess for goals, Cirkin has perhaps had a bigger impact on his second season at Sunderland than he managed in his impressive first one.

He was unable to open his goalscoring account last season but he now has five goals in the Championship. They have been crucial ones too.

Cirkin scored the winner in October against Wigan and the equaliser at Millwall in February. In April he bagged winners against Cardiff and West Brom, meaning his goals have been worth eight extra points to Sunderland.

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