Tony Davison is wearing a suit; a nice, normal, suit. It is the kind of outfit you would expect the managing director of Sunderland AFC to wear — smart, primed for business, red and white tie — but it is not the only clothing he has worn in the line of duty for the club he adores and it is by no means the most outlandish. This suit has no tail, for example. No paws, no claws, no whiskers.



Sitting in the directors’ box at Wembley in May, Davison reflected on how life pivots.



It was the second play-off final against Charlton Athletic he had attended in a professional capacity, fidgeting as Sunderland laboured (and failed) to leave League One. Last time was different. Back in 1998, he had prowled the pitch, dressed as Samson the Cat, the club’s official mascot.



“I thought about that loads,” he says. “As an individual, it felt like destiny, to have that fantastic circular story, albeit we hoped for a better...