SUNDERLAND HAVE WON THE LEAGUE!

A five-goal romp at Luton helped Sunderland end the season in style, as Birmingham lost to Preston - a set of results that saw us finish the season top of the league, capping a tremendous change in fortunes for a club that was bottom of the league in August before the arrival of Roy Keane.

There were four changes in the Sunderland side, as Marton Fulop came into the side in place of Darren Ward - a change made so late that we didn't have a substitute goalkeeper on the bench, while Roy Keane started with a 4-4-1-1 formation with Anthony Stokes as a lone striker.

Sunderland took the lead early on, with Anthony Stokes firing a low shot past Dean Brill after just four minutes following a neat one-two from Daryl Murphy after just four minutes. Two minutes later, Sunderland doubled their advantage, with Murphy blasting the ball into the top corner from the edge of the area, giving us a great shout of winning the league, as Birmingham's game at Preston remained goalless at that time.

Grant Leadbitter saw his shot blocked as we were mauling the Hatters in the opening stages of the game. Leadbitter and Murphy had a few more cracks on goal, but Sunderland started to ease the pressure a bit, allowing Kelvin Andrew to direct a header straight at Fulop on 19 minutes, before Matthew Spring and Lewis Emanuel tried shots on goal for the home side.

Sunderland had a great chance to extend their lead about seven minutes from the break, as a goalmouth scramble gave Anthony Stokes and Grant Leadbitter attempts to find the back of the net, only for Brill to deny the pair. Dean Whitehead ended the half for Sunderland with a shot that went just wide of Brill's goal after he raced onto a through ball, as we went into the break 2-0 up.

Daryl Murphy scored his tenth goal of the season shortly after the restart as we stretched our lead, when he tapped in a low cross from Anthony Stokes from inside the six yard box. Sunderland continued to push forward for more goals, with Stokes forcing another save from Brill on 50 minutes.

Daryl Murphy lost his chance to score a hattrick, as he was taken off just before the hour mark with Dean Whitehead, with Stern John and David Connolly coming on for the final 30 minutes of the season. Connolly saw a shot blocked by Lewis Emanuel on 71 minutes, shortly before we lost Carlos Edwards after he reinjured his shoulder. His replacement, Ross Wallace, grabbed the fourth goal of the game with a blazing shot into the top corner of Brill's goal.

With Sunderland comfortably ahead, extra emphasis was being placed on the Birmingham/Preston game, as Steve Bruce's side failed to take advantage of their opportunities against a Preston side whose playoff hopes were fading - and sure enough, a late goal for Preston's Simon Whaley ensured a defeat for Birmingham, as the travelling Sunderland supporters made sure they had something to celebrate.

David Connolly added a fifth goal with a glancing header to Grant Leadbitter's free kick as the party rumbled on - and even without a parade, it's going to continue until August at the earliest.

Altogether now: we are the champions!

Sunderland: Fulop, Wright, Collins, Nosworthy, Evans, Edwards (sub 75, Wallace), Whitehead (sub 57, Connolly), Stokes, Yorke, Leadbitter, Murphy (sub 57, John). Subs: Varga, L Miller.

Luton: Brill, Keane, Coyne, Barnett, Emanuel, O'Leary (sub 55, Langley), Spring, Heikkinen, Bell (sub 60, Brkovic), Idrizaj, Andrew. Subs: Talbot, Boyd, Perrett.