That well-known phrase 'luck of the Irish' appears to have manifested itself into a real-life phenomenon on the banks of the River Wear in Sunderland these days.

For ever since the Drumaville Consortium, made up of Irish businessmen, took control of affairs at Sunderland FC with Irishman Niall Quinn at the helm and fellow Irishman Roy Keane appointed as manager you could argue there has been an element of luck at the Stadium of Light which the club has not witnessed for years.

Before the new regime came in Sunderland had been a typical 'yo-yo' side as they bounced between the Championship and Premier League. Too good for the second tier of English football, but they were woefully short in quality when it came to coping with the top flight and have the worst-ever Premier League points tally of 15 as a millstone around their necks as a result.

However since the new consortium from Ireland arrived in summer 2006 things have picked up dramatically. They quickly appointed former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland skipper, Keane, as manager and he wasted no time in guiding the club back to the Premier League as champions at the first time of asking last season.

No luck involved there as they comfortably brushed many Championship teams aside on their way to the top, despite losing the first four games of the season before Keane's arrival.

However it was always going to be tricky keeping Sunderland in the Premier League, despite Keane being handed around £40million to bolster his squad in preparation, as many in the football betting world tipped them for another quick-return to the Championship.

The opening match against a Tottenham side that fancied its chances of breaking into the elite 'top-four' clubs this season summed up Sunderland's season down to an absolute tee.

Backed by a vociferous home following and willing to battle and scrap for every ball the Sunderland players ensured the Spurs players - who undeniably had more quality - could not live with the opposition's will not to lose the game. They were rewarded with an injury-time winner from Michael Chopra and that set the tone for the campaign.

Keane, his players and fans at the Stadium of Light will rightly argue they have adopted a never-say-die attitude and will battle 'til the bitter end in their quest to get something from a game, but the number of late or last-minute goals they have scored is astonishing.

Ten goals have been scored with under eight minutes remaining which have helped the club yield an extra 13 points on their current tally of 39 with two matches remaining. Without them the Black Cats would be on 26 points and virtually doomed to the drop.

Personally I have been kicked in the teeth twice this season as I witnessed them pinch three points of my Middlesbrough side with a late equaliser at the Riverside and a last-gasp winner in the Wear-Tees derby at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

Keane claims his side have witnessed more bad luck than any other Premier League side this season with regards to things going against his team such as injuries to key players and poor refereeing decisions.

Personally I think he just needs to take a look 25 miles down the A19 at Middlesbrough if he wants to see a side where Lady Luck appears to have deserted town as several late goals have cost them eight extra points this season, not to mention injury problems and some horrific decisions from match officials.

Credit where it's due, though, Keane has done very well to get Sunderland up and keep them in the Premier League, while even Derby look like taking their worst-ever Premier League side crown too! True they are a determined bunch, but whether they are lucky or I'm just envious I don't know?

What I can say is Murphy scored their winner against Boro on Saturday. And I'm not bitter!