SUNDERLAND 2
Manager Ross’ Black Cats purring again
JACK ROSS was delighted to see his Sunderland side return to winning ways as they edged a fiery clash with Bradford at Valley Parade.
Josh Maja and Jack Baldwin struck either side of Anthony O’Connor’s equaliser, with both sides finishing with 10 men after Max Power and Sean Scannell saw red. Bradford also missed a penalty through Jack Payne.
Sunderland had drawn their past two, with manager Ross saying: “We have only lost one match, but we have had a number of draws and we needed to get back to winning ways.”
Ross (below) also praised midfielder Lee Cattermole, saying: “He is a big part of this club and he is going to be a very important player for us. He is a fantastic professional for me every single day and he is desperate to get this club promoted.”
Sunderland were ahead after 20 minutes through the division’s top goalscorer Maja. But the Bantams levelled on 51 minutes when O’Connor hooked in at the far post. Parity lasted just two minutes as Baldwin’s strike restored the Black Cats’ advantage from Chris Maguire’s 53rd-minute free-kick. But Ross’ side conceded a penalty and went down to 10 men when Power fouled Jack Payne and then kicked out. Payne’s penalty was kept out by Sunderland keeper Jon McLaughlin. Bradford also finished the game with 10 men in added time when Scannell fouled George Honeyman and then shoved him to the ground. “I don’t think we deserved to win the game, but we did deserve a point,” said Bradford boss David Hopkin.