'He showed': Sunderland boss reacts as Robin Roefs bounces back in style at Nottingham Forest

Sunderland landed another crucial win in their bid for Premier League survival on Saturday

Régis Le Bris has praised Robin Roefs for bouncing back from a rare error against Aston Villa with a brilliant performance at Nottingham Forest.

Roefs commanded his box impressively well as Sunderland took a first-half lead at the City Ground, before making some superb saves in the second half to secure the three points for the Black Cats.

Le Bris praised Roefs’ mentality and said the confidence he was spreading through the team was vital to Sunderland’s early-season success. The win took Sunderland into the Premier League top four ahead of the Sunday fixtures.

"That's the life of a professional footballer and goalkeeper, you can be the best one day then not the worst but it's a problem if you concede a goal, and then you can be the best again," Le Bris said.

"It's about consistency. He is very mature. He has great confidence but at the same time he wants to improve his game. He's really demanding with himself, which is really encouraging for the future. It helps our young squad because when the scenario is like that and there's a lot of pressure, if you are not confident it's contagious and the dynamic can change really quickly. He showed this confidence."

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Robin Roefs delivers verdict on Sunderland’s win over Nottingham Forest

“What an evening,” Roefs said.

“We showed mentality and we showed we give everything on the pitch. With this mentality, I think we can achieve a lot. To be honest with you, I didn't really feel like they were going to score even if we played on one hour more. So many balls came in the box and the guys fought for every ball and did so well.

“I am really happy with the start from us as a team, but also from me. I'm happy to help the team. I did know it was a club with a big history. I was told before I got here that the fans would be really great in home games, but that even in away games they show massive support. They pushed us to the win tonight.

"There's a really long way to go, we are just a few games in, but we have to celebrate every good moment and move on to the next one."

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