BURTON ALBION ........................................................... 2 Wyke injury takes biscuit at Burton
SUNDERLAND’S unbeaten start is over after they were beaten at Burton Albion in a game overshadowed by what looked like a serious injury to Charlie Wyke on his first league start for the club.
The Black Cats trailed 2-0 at halftime after Jamie Allen put the Brewers ahead inside 20 minutes, and Kyle McFadzean extended that lead with a header from a set-piece 10 minutes before the break.
Sub Chris Maguire – who replaced Wyke when the striker was stretchered off after he came off worse in a 50-50 challenge with goalkeeper Dimitar Evtimov – gave his side a lifeline with a terrific strike 10 minutes into the second period.
But Sunderland – who have retrieved deficits on five occasions this season – could not find an equaliser, which meant their seven-game unbeaten start to the campaign has come to an end.
The Black Cats remain fourth in the League One table, but the gap between themselves and the automatic promotion places has widened to four points.
Jack Ross made three changes to the side that started against Fleetwood Town last weekend.
Aside from summer signing Wyke being drafted into the side, Jerome Sinclair made his first start for the Black Cats.
They replaced Maguire and Dylan McGeouch, the latter absent from the squad due to injury.
The third change saw Bryan Oviedo restored to the team after missing out last week while he was away on international duty with Costa Rica, and he came in for Denver Hume.
Aiden McGeady was named on the bench for the first time this season after recovering from the calf injury that ruled him out since the start of the campaign.
Burton boss Nigel Clough also made three changes, in his case to the side that faced Accrington Stanley.
Bulgarian Evtimov made his debut after signing a short-term deal this week as the Brewers battled an injury crisis, coming in for Bradley Collins.
And Damien McCrory and Liam Boyce returned to replace Ben Fox and Reece Hutchinson.
Josh Maja dragged a good chance wide of the post on the quarter-hour after Oviedo’s cross was knocked into his path.
But five minutes later, Burton scored with their first meaningful attack.
Marvin Sordell got to the byline on the right and the Black Cats failed to cut out his low cross at the near post, with ball finding its way instead to
Allen 10 yards out and he had time to place his finish into the bottom left-hand corner.
Stephen Quinn hit a 25-yard effort straight at Jon McLaughlin, while at the other end Oviedo brought a first save out of Evtimov.
Sunderland’s afternoon got worse on 36 minutes when one of the themes of their season continued as they conceded from yet another setpiece.
David Templeton delivered a freekick into the penalty area from outside the right-hand corner of the box and McFadzean was left with a free header at the far post, and he nodded firmly back across goal and into the right side of the net.
Then came Wyke’s injury, five minutes before the interval, with Maguire the man who replaced him.
And on 54 minutes it was Maguire who gave Sunderland a glimmer of