text: He was the goalkeeper who only won his place in the side on the back of a teammate shipping an embarrassing eight, so when Costel Pantilimon conceded four goals inside 45 minutes he feared the worst – for himself and the club’s top-flight status. That was four weeks ago when Aston Villa ran riot at the Stadium of Light and Sunderland were booed from the field at half-time before thousands of fans streamed for the exits. Within 48 hours Gus Poyet had been sacked and Dick Advocaat was being installed. The Dutch boss celebrated his first home match with a 1-0 victory over Newcastle last weekend, a result which moved the Black Cats three points clear of the relegation zone ahead of this afternoon’s visit of Crystal Palace. Sunderland Goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon celebrates Jermain Defoe's goal against Newcastle United . Pantilimon kept his place despite pressure from Vito Mannone - the man who was dropped in the wake of October’s 8-0 defeat at Southampton – and the Romanian stopper admits there has been a definite mood change under Advocaat. ‘Before the new manager came, our confidence was not in a good way,’ said the 28-year-old, who was a Premier League winner with Manchester City in 2012 and again last season. ‘We were playing very badly, but now we have a new motivation. He’s brought the enjoyment back. ‘I never expected to play in a game like the 4-0 loss at home to Aston Villa. I was upset. You start to think about what you did wrong. The former Manchester City goalkeeper celebrates with teammate Santiago Vergini at the Stadium of Light . ‘We had to change something. It wasn’t easy. I thought about relegation after the Villa game. ‘I was asking myself, “What is happening?”. We couldn’t win games at home. Away from home we were taking points, but in front of our fans we were failing. 'It was strange and very frustrating. I didn’t know what we could do to be better.’ The answer, it appears, was Advocaat. ‘He has tried to bring us together as a group,’ explained Pantilimon, who has so far avoided one of Advocaat’s infamous fines for a lack of punctuality. ‘We all eat lunch together as a team. That should be normal. It’s a good idea, it creates a stronger group. It means we get to know each other better and other people’s situations. Pantilimon rolls the ball out to a defender as Sunderland beat Newcastle at the Stadium of Light . ‘On the pitch, he wants us to be aggressive all the time, but also keep the ball a lot more. ‘Before the derby he reminded us that not many people have the opportunity to play in a game like this. I think these words said everything, the motivation was at 100 per cent. ‘The atmosphere last week reminded me a lot of how it was after City won the league (in 2012). ‘It was incredible. My wife and my parents were there and they loved the game.’ Both of Pantilimon’s parents are deaf and the keeper uses sign language to communicate. Indeed, it was some advice from his father which set him on his way to a career between the posts. The Romanian shot-stopper celebrates a Sunderland win with his team-mates against Newcastle . ‘I was a striker when I started playing as a child because I liked scoring goals,’ said 6ft 8ins Pantilimon, who was raised in Bacau at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. ‘My father told me it was better to go in goal. He said I had the physical attributes to play there. ‘But I was not always so tall. I had a period between 14 and 16 when I grew so fast. ‘Thankfully, I didn’t like basketball so much. When I was about 15 I realised I could be a professional goalkeeper. Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat enjoyed his first victory as manager in the derby game with Newcastle . ‘I was only 16 when I made my debut for a professional club. It was a third division club, but it was young to make my debut at that level. ‘I was always confident I could be a goalkeeper. I thought I could get right to the top, I’ve worked hard to be here and I don’t want to stop, I want to get better and better.’ Under Advocaat, things are certainly looking up, for Pantilimon and Sunderland.
target: Costel Pantilimon believes the good times have returned to the club .
  He believes manager Dick Advocaat has helped improve atmosphere .
  Sunderland have been buoyed by their win over neighbours Newcastle .
  Defoe's winner secured Advocaat his first victory as Black Cats boss .