Dan Ballard drops big claim on Sunderland AFC star Chris Mepham | OneFootball

Chris Mepham has been a key performer for Sunderland on loan from Bournemouth

Sunderland defender Dan Ballard believes AFC Bournemouth loanee, Chris Mepham, has arguably been the Black Cats' "best" performer of the season as his colleague played just four minutes in the first leg of the Championship play-off semi-final off the bench.

The Northern Ireland international and his defensive colleagues more than played their part in a strong away performance from the Wearside outfit against Coventry City at the CBS Arena, as they head into Tuesday night's second leg at the Stadium of Light with a 2-1 advantage thanks to goals from Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda.

Ballard has only recently returned from a two-month hamstring issue, with a 30-minute cameo on the final day of the regular second-tier season against QPR his only minutes since February 22nd, before returning to Regis Le Bris' starting lineup in the West Midlands alongside the versatile and experienced Luke O'Nien.

And, whilst addressing the media post-match after a crucial success, the 25-year-old paid homage to Mepham's contribution across the campaign as well as outlining the tricky decisions presented to the Mackems boss, such is the quality among the ranks.

Dan Ballard issues player of the season claim involving Chris Mepham

Mepham made the move to Wearside from the Premier League outfit on August 30th and immediately became a mainstay in the side after his debut against Middlesbrough on September 22nd, providing a wealth of experience to the squad with the lowest average age in the division.

The 47-time international started 37 of his 38 league appearances and was involved in 12 clean sheets, whilst Ballard has had a mixed campaign with just 12 starts and 20 overall appearances coming during the regular 46-game season.

After a colossal performance which saw him named 'Player of the match' at the CBS, the man who is a summer target for Sheffield United on the condition they achieve promotion - as exclusively revealed by FLW - delivered his verdict on the strength-in-depth among the Sunderland defence which saw Mepham reduced to a substitute cameo in the dying minutes.

"It's probably one of the toughest things in football and I've had to sit on the bench quite a bit this season as well," Ballard said via Chronicle Live.

"The gaffer's got a really tough choice to make. I do really feel for Chris (Mepham) because he's been one of, if not our best, player all season," the defender claimed. "He'll have a massive part to play in the next game and hopefully the one after that. But he's been superb all season. He's one of the reasons we're here today.

"I'll probably have a sore head in the morning. And that was my first 90 minutes in 10 weeks. It's just full focus on recovery now. So hopefully I can go again on Tuesday," he concluded.

Sunderland's chances of striking permanent deal for Chris Mepham

After making 61 appearances in the top-flight so far in his career, Mepham is just two games away from seeing Sunderland end their own eight-year hiatus from the division after relegation back in 2016/17.

The 27-year-old moved to the Vitality Stadium from Brentford for £12m back in 2019 and signed a contract extension until the end of the current campaign in 2022, and he revealed that Bournemouth do have the option to extend the deal until 2026, shortly after his temporary switch to the North East was finalised.

After scoring his first goal for the club against Cardiff City, Mepham stated that he would be "open" to a permanent transfer with the Black Cats this off-season, before Le Bris kept his cards close to his chest on this particular front as it was reported that the Cherries were expected to trigger the aforementioned contract clause to recoup some of their initial eight-figure investment.

It remains to be seen whether such circumstances will occur, and it could hinge on whether Sunderland are successful in their play-off bid, as they look to return to Wembley for the first time in three years by seeing off Frank Lampard's side in what will be another intriguing contest.