IT might be hard to believe, but the feeling of winning the Premier League can be replicated by enjoying a much-needed derby day victory at the wrong end of the table. Or at least that is what Costel Pantilimon thinks after experiencing both during his four years in England.

The Sunderland goalkeeper, who won the league title twice as deputy to Joe Hart during his three years at the Etihad, was blown away by the events at the Stadium of Light last Sunday when Jermain Defoe’s volley left Tyneside hearts deflated.

But the victory also ensured Sunderland took a huge step towards securing top-flight football for a further year and the celebrations at the final whistle, both on the pitch and in the stands, highlighted the significance of the win.

Not only did it provide a timely boost to the relegation fight, it was the first time the Black Cats had claimed a fifth successive win over their main rivals.

Pantilimon, mobbed by his team-mates at the final whistle when he gathered a ball in to his box, said: “That moment of winning the league, for everyone in England, it was unbelievable (in 2012 when Sergio Aguero scored). The way we won was a miracle. Nobody expected that.

“But the atmosphere last week reminded me a lot of how it was after City won the league. I’ve never been involved in two games that were so different. The atmosphere at Aston Villa and the atmosphere after the Newcastle game ... we are very lucky to have this kind of support.”

Pantilimon is not the first of Manchester City’s players to opt for a new challenge having failed to establish himself in the City first team. He is joined on Wearside by two others in a similar situation, given Jack Rodwell and Adam Johnson’s moves to Sunderland.

But the towering Romanian has no regrets about swapping life at the Premier League champions, albeit stuttering ones, for a battle to beat the drop in the North-East, where the man who signed him, Gus Poyet, lost his job last month.

“I much prefer to be here,” said Pantilimon. “That’s the decision I made last summer and it was the right choice. I’m happy to be here and part of this group. We have a good group, but it’s true, it has been tough.

“We have not played very many good games and we are in a bad position. I hope, after the last game against Newcastle, confidence will improve and we can finally move up the league.”

Sunderland moved up to 15th by defeating Newcastle and the three-point cushion they have to the relegation zone should provide encouragement ahead of today’s visit of Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace, with seven matches remaining.

Pantilimon said: “It was a different type of stress at Manchester City. We still had to win games. We still had so many important games at this stage of the season. Every game was a fight, but the prize was different.

“I was very lucky in my three years at City because I won many things, the Premier League twice, the Capital One Cup and the Charity Shield. It was a happy three years and it’s nice I had that part of my life, but it was right to come here.

“Staying up at Sunderland and being first choice goalkeeper would be another big achievement I chose to do what I did and I don’t regret it. Coming here was the best option for me.”

Having seen how well Sunderland can play, and the attention and support which can be created at the Stadium of Light, the 28-year-old thinks the club currently paying his wages are something of a sleeping giant ... but they have to find a way to wake it up.

Pantilimon said: “I was thinking the same after the first game against Newcastle when we won there. I thought that would be the start of a good run and things would get better.

“I hope this is a turning point, because we need it to be. Every game is going to be difficult for us. I don’t know why we didn’t build on it. Things just haven’t gone as we’d wished this season.”

But he thinks Dick Advocaat could be the man to steer Sunderland in the right direction because first impressions have been extremely positive of the Dutchman.

“He has rules, for sure, but every manager has rules,” said Pantilimon. “The old manager had rules that we also respected. It’s true, they are different kinds of characters, but we respected them both. We are trying to adapt to what the new manager wants and his new ideas.

“It’s important we enjoy playing. That’s one of the most important things in football. In the last few games before the new manager came, we lost games at home, we were playing very badly and the new manager has given us a new motivation.

“A new manager brings something new and we’re happy. He’s brought the enjoyment back, but the most important thing is to win games. It’s easier to enjoy football when you’re winning, it’s the perfect combination.”