Sunderland striker Darren Bent has revealed how a pre-match visit from club owner Ellis Short inspired them to victory over Bolton Wanderers.

Bent plundered his first hat-trick for the club as they ran out 4-0 winners to end their 14-game wait for a Barclays Premier League victory and lift themselves six points clear of the relegation zone.

He said: "He came into the changing room before the game and said, 'Hi, I'm Ellis Short', and I think a few of the players were cringing and thinking, 'Crikey, we had better do something tonight'.

"But everyone went out there and produced really, really well from back to front. We played as a team, played like we were playing at the start of the season and we got our rewards.

"A lot of people had said, 'Imagine if you lose or if you don't get the right result', but to be fair, none of the players in the changing room were thinking negatively.

"We were just thinking about going forward and getting the job done, and luckily enough, we did."