6 THINGS WE LEARNED...
The Sunderland squad has Jon McLaughlin and Tom Flanagan to thank for a weekend off this week and they had double cause for celebration after the duo helped the Black Cats to a big win. It was a superb penalty stop, McLaughlin diving to his right to deny Jack Payne’s fiercely struck effort. Almost as good as the follow-up defending from Flanagan. The defender had to be alert and on his toes to brilliantly get to the rebound first to push the ball behind for a corner and deny Payne again.
In what is proving a fiercely competitive League One, it was vital Sunderland got back to winning ways. The hard-fought victory came on the same day Portsmouth, Peterborough United and Doncaster Rovers were all beaten at home, the Black Cats rising to third, now just four points off top. The top of the division is incredibly competitive with just four points separating Accrington Stanley in 7th - just outside the play-offs - and Posh who are second in the table.
By the time Max Power returns to action, he will have missed a total of nine games through suspension. His first red card saw him miss three games plus the Checkatrade Trophy match against Stoke City U21s and as this was his second red of the season, it is automatically a four-game ban. Power will be forced to sit out the games at Shrewsbury and Doncaster, Southend at home and Plymouth Argyle away plus the visit of Carlisle United in the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday. Power will have plenty of time to reflect on his actions, with Dylan McGeouch and George Honeyman battling it out for a recall.
With the suspended Bryan Oviedo sitting out the first of his three game ban and Denver Hume a week into a six-week injury lay-off, Reece James was recalled. And he didn’t let anybody down; defensively he was very sound and while he may lack the attacking threat that both Hume and Oviedo offer, James showed he can be a solid option at left-back. This is an opportunity for him to nail down a place and he made a solid start.
It was no fluke by Josh Maja. It was an expertly timed chest of the ball to deflect Lee Cattermole’s volley into the corner of the Bradford City goal. There was initial confusion as to whose goal it was, given it looked on first viewing that Cattermole had just volleyed Sunderland in front. But on closer inspection it was the 19-yearold striker who had netted his ninth of the campaign in just 12 games. A remarkable run of form. Maja is proving to be deadly in the penalty area, usually via clinical finishing with his feet but this time it was with his chest.
Chris Maguire and Lee Cattermole were among the more experienced players to help guide the Black Cats home. It has been a remarkable turnaround for Cattermole, as Jack Ross said himself the relationship between the midfielder and fans has been rebuilt in spectacular fashion. Cattermole again serenaded off by the near 3,000-strong away support, fans fully appreciative of his efforts.