A season that promised so much for Sunderland would ultimately end in a fight against relegation from the Premier League.

It cost Martin O'Neill his job and he was replaced by the controversial Paolo Di Canio, who managed to keep the Black Cats in the Premier League but not without incident.

Here, Sports Mole looks back over an eventful few months at the Stadium of Light.

August

The season began with a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium. The Black Cats fans could have been forgiven for thinking that this was a sign of greater things for the season ahead, but ultimately they were to be left frustrated.

A 2-0 win over Morcambe got their League Cup campaign off to a winning start.

September

The month began with three consecutive draws against Swansea City, Liverpool and West Ham United, before a 2-0 win over the MK Dons ensured their progression into the next round of the League Cup.

An unbeaten start to the season was maintained with a 1-0 win over Wigan Athletic, courtesy of a Steven Fletcher goal. The Scot signed on from Wolverhampton Wanderers in a somewhat protracted transfer, but this strike took his tally to five in five games.

October

Their first defeat of the season came against Manchester City. Aleksandar Kolarov, Sergio Aguero and James Milner scored the goals in a 3-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium. O'Neill's men would have to wait two weeks for redemption, but the North East derby gave them the perfect opportunity to do so.

Yohan Cabaye opened the scoring in the third minute at the Stadium of Light, but Cheick Tiote's sending off swung the game back in favour of the hosts. However, an own goal by Demba Ba was needed to rescue a point.

A goalless draw with Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium was to follow, before their League Cup challenge came to an end against Middlesbrough courtesy of Scott McDonald's solitary goal.

November

Premier League survival is always the first objective of any mid-table team, but the threat of relegation was not really prominent until a 1-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa at the start of November.

A 2-1 loss at Everton only served to ramp up the growing sense of tension. However, a 3-1 triumph away at Fulham did much to ease worries for the short term.

December

Their next win would not come until midway through December, five games and only one point better off than their victory at Craven Cottage. Goals from James McClean, Steven Fletcher and Stephan Sessegnon wrapped up a 3-0 victory over fellow strugglers Reading.

Their next game was at Old Trafford. If truth be told, no-one expected them to win, but a spirited performance, at the very least, was needed. It wasn't until Sunderland were three goals down before they began to feature in the contest, as Fraizer Campbell came off the bench to score against his former club.

The busy festive period began with a 1-0 win away at Southampton, thanks yet again to another goal from Fletcher. He was justifying his hefty price tag, scoring the goals that kept Sunderland competitive in a tight table.

The Black Cats shelled out £10m for local boy Adam Johnson in the summer transfer window, ending his stilted spell at Manchester City. He exacted revenge on the Citizens by scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light.

January

After the high of beating the champions, the festive period ended with two straight defeats to Spurs and Liverpool.

O'Neill took his team to the Reebok Stadium for an FA Cup third-round tie with Bolton Wanderers, but had to fight back from two goals down to earn a replay. The comeback ultimately proved futile, as a brace by Marvin Sordell saw Dougie Freedman's side triumph in the North East 10 days later.

The cup pain was eased somewhat by back-to-back league wins against West Ham United and Wigan Athletic.

February

February proved to be a miserable month. Three games, three losses. Reading, Arsenal and West Bromwich Albion all claimed maximum points as the Black Cats began to slide towards the relegation zone.

March

A 2-2 draw with Fulham provided some respite from misery, but a 3-1 defeat against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road quickly followed.

An unease began to spread throughout the Sunderland faithful, as many became disenchanted with the style of football being employed by O'Neill, who was lauded as the club's saviour just over two years previously.

Victory at home to Norwich City would have been a perfect antidote, but the Canaries notched an early goal and frustrated the Black Cats, despite Craig Gardner's strike eventually earning a point for the home side.

The pressure on manager O'Neill was increasing by the day. His tenure ended with a 1-0 defeat at home to Manchester United, as chairman Ellis Short took the decision to gamble with a new man rather than stick with what looked to be a losing formula.

Who would Sunderland turn to in a bid to inspire the beleaguered players? Paolo Di Canio. The Italian's appointment brought with it a media circus regarding his political leanings.

His supposedly fascist views caused Labour MP and non-executive vice-chairman David Miliband to resign in protest, although many saw it as an easy opportunity for him to give up his post, given that he was moving to America to head the International Rescue Committee charity in New York.

April

Di Canio's appointment may have been, to some people, a controversial one, but the change within the ranks could not be denied. His era began with a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, but the Black Cats looked a different animal at Stamford Bridge. There was an energy about them, not seen for quite a while.

It was almost the perfect match to start with, as not much was expected. His second game, however, had the potential to be a defining moment in Sunderland's season. And that's just what it proved to be.

Sunderland were struggling at the bottom half of the table, but so too were their North East rivals Newcastle United. Before the game, there was an air of confidence around St James' Park, but that self-assurance turned out to be entirely misplaced. Spectacular strikes, firstly from Adam Johnson and then from David Vaughan, helped seal a memorable 3-0 win over the Magpies.

A 1-0 win ended Everton's challenge for Champions League qualification, but more importantly for Sunderland it all but secured safety for another season. There was still work to do, though, and a 6-1 humbling at Villa Park did little to help their cause.

May

The initial magic instilled by Di Canio's arrival on Wearside had, by now, began to wear thin. Stoke City were another team battling at the foot of the table, so when they visited the Stadium of Light there was another opportunity to guarantee survival.

Jonathan Walters put the Potters ahead early on. Captain Gardner then saw red for a reckless challenge on Charlie Adam, and once again Sunderland were in trouble. The 10 men rallied and eventually got back on level terms thanks to John O'Shea, which was enough to earn a point that edged them closer to safety.

In the end, Wigan's 4-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, just 72 hours after winning the FA Cup, confirmed their place in England's top flight for another year.

Their season ended with a 1-0 defeat at White Hart Lane, but that wasn't the end of the drama. News emerged that Di Canio had fined seven of his players for misdemeanors, which had resulted in them complaining to the PFA. It could be an interesting summer on Wearside.