Ellis Simms reacts to crucial Dennis Cirkin moment for Sunderland | OneFootball

Former Sunderland forward Ellis Simms has taken to Instagram to react to Dennis Cirkin's crucial strike in yesterday's meeting with Cardiff City.

Simms was recalled from his loan spell at the Stadium of Light by Everton earlier this season after providing nine direct goal contributions in 17 league appearances for the Black Cats.

Cirkin scored what turned out to be the winning goal for his side in the second-half of this aforementioned fixture.

Forced to settle for a point in their meeting with Hull City last Friday, Sunderland knew that a failure to secure victory at the Cardiff City Stadium would effectively end their hopes of fighting for a top-six finish during the closing stages of the campaign.

Abdoullah Ba forced Ryan Allsop into making a save in the first-half while Danny Batth headed over from a corner before Jack Clarke had an effort ruled out for offside.

Following the break, Anthony Patterson denied Kion Etete from opening the scoring for Cardiff.

Cirkin then gave the visitors the lead as he scored from a rebound after Alex Pritchard's free-kick struck the woodwork.

Cardiff were unable to find a way back into the game as Sunderland secured a 1-0 win in the Welsh capital.

As a result of this triumph, the Black Cats moved up to 10th in the league standings and are now only four points adrift of the play-off places.

What was Dennis Cirkin's message to Sunderland's fans and how did Ellis Simms respond?

After the match, Cirkin thanked the club's fans for the support that they illustrated on Instagram.

Upon seeing Cirkin's message, Simms replied with the raising hands emoji on the social media platform.

Will Sunderland be able to reach the play-offs with Cirkin in their side?

Having secured a respectable total of four points over the Easter period, Sunderland will now be hoping to edge closer to the play-offs by securing positive results in their upcoming clashes with Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town.

If the Black Cats go on to win both of these games, they are likely to emerge as serious contenders for a top-six finish.

Cirkin will be determined to play a key role in the club's quest for success having recently returned to action following a period out of the side.

team-high WhoScored match rating of 8.36