The 22-year-old Northern Irishman was handed a senior debut for the club by compatriot Martin O'Neill in his first game in charge at the Stadium of Light last Sunday. McClean produced a fine cameo display after replacing Jack Colback as a 76th-minute substitute, and his arrival has been cited by many as a significant factor in the Black Cats' late fightback which turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory. The former Derry City midfielder was thrilled to finally make his first appearance after waiting patiently for his chance, and although he is taking nothing for granted ahead of Sunday's tough trip to Tottenham, he is desperate to establish himself in new manager O'Neill's long-term plans. He said: "It's only one game and I can take nothing for granted. "I am just going to continue to work hard and try to improve, and if the manager calls upon me, then I am ready and I want to repay his faith in me. "I came over and my only aspirations were to try to get into the team. "I knew that wasn't going to happen straight away and that I had to work hard at it and hopefully impress the manager, which I seem to have done, and now I want to repay the faith he has shown in me. "It's nice to get the debut out of the way, and the next thing now is to get a start and make myself a regular in the team, which is the aim." McClean was signed by former boss Steve Bruce for £350,000 during the summer, and although he had been involved in the first team squad before Sunday's game, it was O'Neill who finally handed him the chance to show what he could do on the big stage. His direct style made him an instant hit with the Stadium of Light faithful - he announced his arrival by skipping past Blackburn's Mauro Formica on the left before firing in a dangerous cross - and there will no doubt be a clamour for his inclusion during the busy Christmas period. McClean said: "That's always been my game, I have never changed that and I am never going to change it. "I get excitement out of getting the ball and getting at defenders and if I don't get past them the first two or three times, I am just going to keep trying. "When I was told I was going on, I was buzzing. The gaffer told me to go on and play my own game and do what I do best, and that's to get at defenders and put crosses in. "That gave me confidence, that he was showing faith in me." O'Neill was delighted with the application his players showed against Blackburn to fight their way back from a losing position - David Vaughan's equaliser arrived with just six minutes of normal time remaining before Sebastian Larsson curled in an injury-time free-kick - to secure only their third league win of the campaign. But the degree of difficulty will rise significantly tomorrow when Sunderland head for White Hart Lane to face top-four contenders Spurs. They will do so with McClean keeping his fingers crossed that he has done enough to persuade the manager he is worth another go. However, he knows the fact that he and the 59-year-old are from the same part of the world will not give him any advantage. He said: "It's obviously nice because you can chat about where you are from, but I don't think that changes anything in terms of team selection or anything like that. "I still have to impress him, and hopefully I can."
