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It may not been a quieter summer for Sunderland head coach Mel Reay but it has been a very different one.

Last time around the switch to a hybrid playing model and the huge step towards professionalism that represented sparked a major turnover of personnel. There was some understandable anxiety on the outside as to what lay ahead but internally, Reay and her staff were quietly confident that they had added significant quality to the group and that the added benefits of professionalisation would show on the pitch.

It proved to be a better campaign than most would have dared dream of, the Black Cats in the title race right up until the penultimate weekend of the season. This time around, the work has been just as extensive but the turnover much smaller. Four players have arrived and with a 20-player squad, Reay says the club’s summer business is complete. Reay has added youth and experience, as well as landing a striker deal two years in the making. The mood behind the scenes a few weeks out from the campaign is one of quiet confidence as a result.