Sunderland manager Roy Keane has praised the character of fans' favourite Nyron Nosworthy.
The 26-year-old defender found himself out in the cold last season after Keane had taken over at the helm and set about assessing his squad.
However, as several of the players inherited from Mick McCarthy were shown the door, Nosworthy worked his way back into contention and the former Gillingham player established himself as a key member of the side which won the Championship title last season.
Even more impressive was his conversion from right-back to central defender which has reinvigorated his career on Wearside and earned him cult status.
Nosworthy missed the derby trip to Middlesbrough last weekend with a knee injury and has only a 50-50 chance of resuming against Blackburn Rovers at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
However, Keane has been hugely impressed by a man whose future at the club looked bleak a little more than a year ago.
"Nyron has been a big plus since I got the job. In my first month's training, I don't think he trained with the first team," said the manager.
"I spoke to him and told him I had to look at certain things and he was as good as gold.
"He kept his head down and trained away with the young kids and the reserves and when he got his chance, he took it and has probably started in the team ever since.
creditable response
"He was a right-back and we asked him to do a job last year for us at centre-half and he did very well. The fans have stuck to him. He tries the odd trick here and there - the fans like to see that in a player - and they certainly appreciate his efforts."
Within days of him taking over, Keane wasted little time in re-shaping his squad, bringing in six new faces, six more - including loan singings Jonny Evans and Danny Simpson - in January and 12 this summer.
During the same period 11 departed, including the likes of Liam Lawrence, Jon Stead, Ben Alnwick and Steve Caldwell, as major changes were made to the dressing room.
However, it produced a creditable response from those players who remained.
"That's what you need. When I first came into the job there were one or two players who we had to test and try them in different situations," added Keane.
"The likes of Nyron, Dean Whitehead, Danny Collins, Darren Ward, Grant Leadbitter - those players have managed to stay around and are obviously doing something right because a lot of lads from when I took the job are not here."
Nyron's so Keane
Sunderland 2-1 Reading
Sunderland's 1973 FA Cup-winning team pay tribute to Ian Porterfield
Sunderland's £6m striker Kenwyne Jones inspired his side to victory against Reading on a moving day for the Black Cats at the Stadium of Light.
Prior to kick off they paid their respects to 1973 FA Cup-winning scorer Ian Porterfield, who died on Tuesday.
Jones opened the scoring with his first Sunderland goal, a brilliant turn and sizzling finish from 25 yards out.
He laid on a second for Ross Wallace to slot home, before Dave Kitson headed home a late consolation for Reading.
It was an emotionally-charged afternoon on Wearside, as Sunderland bade farewell to one of their favourite sons.
Commentary of Porterfield's goal from the 1-0 win over Leeds was played over the tannoy system prior to kick off, followed by a rapturous minute's applause from the 39,272 present.
Once the game got under way, it seemed Sunderland were keen to honour the memory of a man who also managed Reading for 20 months until February 1991.
The visitors had more possession but Sunderland created two early chances, first Jones and then Grant Leadbitter with a 20-yard dipping volley both forcing Marcus Hahnemann to save.
Roy Keane's outlay of £6m on Jones - unproven at Premier League level - had raised eyebrows in some quarters. 
But just before the half-hour mark, the giant Trinidadian began to repay his fee by collecting the ball 25 yards out, turning smartly, shrugging off Ivar Ingimarsson and rifling a left-foot thunderbolt inside Hahnemann's left-hand post.
Jones could have had a hat-trick before half-time, nodding one Danny Collins centre wide and then, remarkably, heading a fine Wallace cross into the ground and over the bar from five yards.
After a bright opening Reading had faded badly and less than 90 seconds into the second half they were even more up against it.
Jones somehow wriggled through three challenges and escaped down the right, his cross evading Michael Chopra but rolling perfectly for Wallace to sidefoot home.
Reading summoned a reply, Liam Rosenior claiming Wallace handled his shot in the area, before, at the other end, Graeme Murty had to be alert to clear another goalbound Wallace effort.
Without an away goal or a second-half strike to their name all season, Reading at the moment look a million miles away from the team that won so many new admirers last term.
They looked toothless up front until Bobby Convey came on, the American winger seeing his cross-shot just evade Kitson and the far post.
Reading finally got on the scoresheet five minutes from time when Kitson glanced in Nicky Shorey's free-kick, but it would have been undeniably harsh on Sunderland had Keane's men not taken all three points.
Sunderland boss Roy Keane on a difficult day:
"The players were fantastic and the fans were all day. It was quite emotional before the game and it was a great tribute to a top player.
"It was a good display. The last few minutes were nervous due to a sloppy goal, but we should have been 4-0 up.
"Kenwyne Jones was different class. They just could not handle him today."
Reading manager Steve Coppell:
"We must react positively and get some more points on the board.
"We're in basically in a situation where we need to improve. We've leaked too many and haven't scored enough.
"Kenwyne Jones was a physical and skilful presence for them, he scored one and was involved in a lot for them. But we didn't defend him very well."
Sunderland: Gordon, McShane, Higginbotham, Nosworthy, Collins, Leadbitter, Etuhu, Yorke, Wallace (Stokes 64), Jones (Murphy 83), Chopra (Miller 81).
Subs Not Used: Ward, Halford.
Booked: Wallace.
Goals: Jones 29, Wallace 47.
Reading: Hahnemann, Murty, Bikey, Ingimarsson, Shorey, Rosenior (Convey 78), Harper, Gunnarsson (Fae 73), Hunt, Lita (Long 67), Kitson.
Subs Not Used: Federici, De la Cruz.
Booked: Gunnarsson, Bikey.
Goals: Kitson 85.
Att: 39,272.
Ref: Steve Tanner (Somerset).
By Jonathan Stevenson
Double injury blow for Sunderland
Sunderland wingers Kieran Richardson and Carlos Edwards are set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering setbacks on their return from injury.
The 22-year-old Richardson has been ruled out for up to three months with a stress fracture of the back.
And winger Carlos Edwards, 28, is likely to miss the next four games after suffering a setback in his bid to return from a hamstring injury.
Edwards was in line to face Reading on Saturday but broke down in training.
The news will come to a huge blow to manager Roy Keane, who has already lost skipper Dean Whitehead for six months with a cruciate knee injury.
Summer signing Richardson went off injured after 20 minutes of the home game against Liverpool last month and tests have revealed that the injury was worse than first feared.
Keane said: "We've had bad news on Kieran. He saw a specialist this week and he has a stress fracture of his back.
"We'll have more news after he sees a surgeon but I would have thought that he'll be out for two to three months.
"It's a major disappointment. Kieran was able to do elements of training but it affected him when he twisted or hit the ball hard.
"In the last week or two we were hoping that it might settle down but clearly it's a lot more serious."
Edwards has not played since Sunderland's 2-2 draw against Birmingham in the first week of the season.
He suffered a hamstring tear and has missed the last three Premier League matches but was close to making a first-team return.
"It's not the same injury but it's a similar type of injury in the same area," added Keane. "It's a setback for the lad and for us because he's a big player for us.
"It's the downside with hamstring injuries. We look at injuries, we look at players' recovery but one thing we don't do is push them too much, it's just one of those things.
"He had a week's running with the medical staff and then he trained with us, he was doing OK and then he walked off saying he felt something. It's a blow."
Edwards played a major part in Sunderland's rise to the Championship title last season after signing from Luton in the January transfer window.
Winger Hysen departs Sunderland
Winger Tobias Hysen has left Sunderland to return to his native Sweden, having completed a move to join IFK Gothenburg for an undisclosed fee in late August.
The 25-year-old scored three goals in 27 appearances after joining from Djurgardens last summer.
"I'm leaving for non-football reasons," he told Sunderland's website.
"Neither me nor my girlfriend really got settled in the area, and with a baby coming in January, we just wanted to be where our families are."
