Grayson warns: You’ll have to earn your shirt
SUNDERLAND: Mannone (Stryjek 68), Matthews (Beadling 68), Kone (Djilobodji 63), O’Shea (Browning 63), Galloway (Love 46), Cattermole (Gibson 63), Ndong (E Robson 76), Lens (Asoro 46), Rodwell (Maja 46), Khazri (Honeyman 63), Vaughan (Embleton 68). Sub not used: Ledger
REFEREE: Nick Walsh ATTENDANCE: 2,032 the pitch before he could be stretchered off.
The second half was flat in comparison to the first. Sunderland made changes at halftime, sending on Donald Love in place of Galloway to keep Wotherspoon in check, and also went for a more attacking formation with teenagers Joel Asoro and Josh Maja entering the action.
And there were more changes throughout the second period, as Grayson gave his players more minutes. But the changes meant the second half had no real rhythm and there was little goalmouth action.
The closest Sunderland came to getting on the scoresheet came when sub Tom Beadling had a shooting chance inside the penalty area to the right of goal, but sub keeper Mark Hurst was very close to him and made the block. SIMON Grayson has warned Sunderland’s star names that he will offload anyone unwilling to work for the shirt.
The Black Cats boss insisted he will not tolerate a lack of ‘desire and hunger’ after watching his side crash to a 3-0 pre-season defeat at St Johnstone.
New signing James Vaughan missed an early penalty before the Black Cats collapsed and conceded three goals in six minutes midway through the first half.
Grayson’s did not name individuals, but he took Jeremain Lens off at half-time, and Wahbi Khazri also made an early exit with the manager clearly frustrated with him at the beginning of the second half.
“It was a little bit about concentration, but also desire and hunger,” said Grayson of the way his team folded. “That’s what it’s all about. “There’s certain players that are buying into the ideas and certain players that aren’t.
“If players are not willing to work hard for this shirt they can go somewhere else.
“I’m not prepared to work with players who aren’t prepared to run, do the basics that millions would give their right arm to do.
“We have to address it and we will address it.
“This is a group that is going to keep improving but there is a lot of work that has to be done.
“Players have to buy into it, and if they don’t buy into it then they won’t be here.”
He added: “We were playing better opposition and for the first 15 minutes we played well, we won the penalty and Vaughany was brave enough to take it.
“We had some other opportunities in and around it, but it was the other side of the game that was disappointing.
“It’s no surprise that when the young kids came on, they ran around, they showed desire to run forward and back, to do everything that is required to make a successful team.” Simon Grayson