Which strikers was he most looking forward to playing against? Which grounds was he desperate to grace? What would life in the top-flight feel like? “I haven’t really thought about all of that yet,” he said. “Oh wait, I’m going to be in Fantasy Footy! I won’t be picking myself, that’s for sure.”
That’s O’Nien to a tee. Funny, grounded, self-effacing. But there’s also another O’Nien that was evident at Wembley. Passionate, inspiring, the ultimate team player.
Let’s be honest, two minutes into the biggest game of his career, and it would have been easy for the 30-year-old to have wallowed in a pit of despair. He had touched the ball once when he collided with Kieffer Moore and Dennis Cirkin in his own penalty area, crumpling to the floor in agony as his shoulder bone was jolted out of its socket.
O’Nien being O’Nien, he was desperate to continue. But while the stretcher that came onto the field amid an eerie Wembley silence was not needed, it quickly became apparent that the centre-half’s race had been run. Wincing in pain as he walked around the touchline, he was taken straight to the dressing room, where he was strapped up and plied with morphine.
He could have remained in the tunnel area, tortured by his thoughts. It was recommended that he remained comfortable, so he could have taken himself upstairs to the stands. Instead, he dashed back to the dugouts, perching himself on the bench. When Eliezer Mayenda scored Sunderland’s second-half equaliser, he was the first player tearing down the touchline, arm hanging limply by his side. When Tommy Watson curled home his winner, he freely admits he went berserk.
“The end was special,” said O’Nien. “Although, sadly, I covered more distance celebrating Eli’s goal than in my appearance on the pitch!
“I was morphined up to the highest, and I’m still not sure if that moment happened. I’m lost for words. My wife came into the dressing room. I was in agony and couldn’t really see or walk straight, but I was desperate to get back out there, be a fan, be there for the boys and do everything I could to help.
“From the minute I’ve joined, I’ve given everything to this club. I’ll give my arms, my knees, my head, we’ll do it. It’s what the North-East is all about, and it’s what the fans would do in our shoes. I wouldn’t swap my shoulder coming out for the world.”
O’Nien has spent the vast majority of his career overcoming adversity, so he was especially delighted that it was Watson coming up with the match-winning moment. Unlike the teenager, whose decision to leave Wearside for Brighton unleashed a maelstrom of supporter discontent, O’Nien has never been booed by his own fans. He knows plenty about having to show character and resilience though, and was hugely impressed with the way Watson handled what must have been an extremely difficult month.
“He’s dealt with it all unbelievably well,” said O’Nien. “I couldn’t be any more proud or happier for Tommy. And his family. I know his dad.
“He’s a perfect example for if I want my kids to ever experience something. The fact he faced adversity and his reaction to that, not just here, but right through.
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“Tommy scored that winning goal weeks ago when he got booed by our own fans. He came in every single day, carried on working for the club, carried on being a really good team-mate, carried on learning.
“He scored that winning goal weeks ago. He’s the perfect example for any human being to live, to learn by and to be inspired by. I’m a massive fan of Tommy – and I can’t wait to smash him next season!”
Next season. Thoughts now turn to the future and what might lie in store for Sunderland back in the Premier League. For O’Nien, though, the last few days have also been a period of reflection.
When the versatile defender joined the Black Cats in the summer of 2018, he linked up with a team languishing in League One. The club was on its knees, reeling from back-to-back relegations. His debut hardly went to plan – he was taken off after 45 minutes after struggling against Charlton – and his next start came in a Papa John’s Trophy draw against Stoke City Under-21s.
He was in the team that shipped five goals at Rotherham, was watching on injured when Sunderland conceded six at Bolton. He plumbed the depths of Sunderland’s decline, so knows the extent of the work that has been needed to enable the club to embark on the successful recovery mission that now sees them back in the top-flight.
“The club has changed massively,” he said. “To be involved in a little bit of it is special. But you don’t get to the Premier League and the work just stops. The processes that got us this far are the ones we’ve got to double down on and add more to them.
“We’re building strong foundations for the club. We built foundations in League One that have served us well and given us the platform. Foundations sometimes take a long time to build. This is another step. We’ll enjoy it all, but in the summer, more foundations will be put in.”
Will those foundations be strong enough to enable Sunderland to survive in the Premier League? Time will tell. But for now, things are looking good.
“We’re joint top of the Prem, aren’t we,” said O’Nien. It’s not a bad place to start.
