Sunderland boss O'Neill pleased to edge Stoke

Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill was delighted with victory over Stoke City - courtesy of James McClean's lone goal.

O'Neill, who has now guided the Wearsiders to 22 points from a possible 30 since his appointment in December, was delighted to see his side keep their momentum going with a fifth victory in six league games - particularly given that it snowed relentlessly throughout the contest.

"Conditions, certainly in the last 20 minutes, were probably borderline in terms of the game keeping going, although I never for one minute thought the referee was going to stop it," O'Neill said.

"Naturally, I am delighted with them (his players). This would have been a big test for us anyway, but we hadn't taken the snow into consideration, so from that viewpoint, I am really pleased that we have won and collected these important points.

"There was a lot of snow on the pitch at the end. I didn't think the game was ever going to be called off - the conditions were good enough in the first half. But it was in the last 20 minutes of the game that it really started to lay."