Praise for the fans from Grayson as team refuse

SIMON Grayson says Sunderland fans responded to a team which showed some commitment and did not “crumble” as they fought back from a goal down to earn a draw against Derby County.

The Black Cats have a long history of folding after falling behind, and when Derby took the lead against the run of play early on at the Stadium of Light, the omens did not look good.

But Sunderland got back on level terms as debutant Lewis Grabban scored from the penalty spot before half-time and, while the Wearsiders could not find a winner, the fans applauded the team off after seeing them outplay Derby.

“A point was the least we deserved,” said Grayson, who was overseeing his first competitive game in charge. “I thought we were very good tonight in many different ways.

“We started the game extremely well and had them on the back foot. Obviously we were disappointed to concede the goal, but the biggest thing for me was that we didn’t crumble.

“This time last year, or in previous years, the team might have gone under but we got back on the front foot and asked Derby a lot of questions in the final third.

“There’s a lot of work to be done in terms of restoring confidence and belief in the group but tonight can go a long way towards that because they didn’t crumble when they conceded against the run of play.

“Things have happened this week and people have questioned the desire and hunger at the club, but you could see tonight there were 11 committed players out there who were desperate to run for every ball, make every challenge, and do whatever was required to get a result.

“The supporters saw that and applauded them at the final whistle.

“What I hope people will read into it is that we are trying to put together a group of players who are committed and will work for the shirt.

“It’s going to be a long process, but we have to make positive steps in everything we do.

“This is a platform to build on. We go