Perfect home start for Parkinson as Cats hit five
HefoundWatmorewithacleverthroughball,andthewinger calmlyslottedpastDaviesand into the far corner.
Theleadwsdoubledwithin minuteswhenWatmoredrove towards goal with ball at feet, drawing a foul from George Ray just on the edge of the area in a central position.
Davies expected Chris Maguire to hit a curling effort over the wall to his right, but wasleftunmovedashesmartly fired one to his left and into the back of the net.
Sunderland kept pushing and had their third just over ten minutes later. Maguire played a deft chip over the defence, finding Watmore who had again surged into a dangerous area. He played another ball across the face of goal and this time Lynden Gooch anticipated it, turning home the easiest of finishes.
It looked like being four when Davies and Ray misjudgedalongball,Raynodding the ball over his goalkeeper and into the net. The linesman flagged for a foul, however,judgingGriggtohavefouled Ray with a push.
Tranmere started the second half in much better fashion,andwereunfortunatethat when Payne got in front of his marker at a corner, his header dropped off the far post with Burge comfortably beaten.
That willingness to chase thegameleftgaps,though,and Sunderlandshouldhavemade it four just before the hour.
Max Power nicked the ball in midfield and Marc McNulty, a substitute for the injured Lynden Gooch, surged towards goal, dancing past Ray before putting his effort just over the bar.
Tranmere largely controlled possession but Burge remained untroubled in the Sunderland goal.
He sparked a fourth with a long kick from hand forward,
Luke O’Nien showing great persistence to control and keep the move alive. He found McNulty,andthoughhisinital shot was blocked, he was able tofindGriggwiththerebound andthestrikerwasabletocap a good night with a deserved goal.
The home side weren’t quite finished there, with O’Nien showing wonderful desire to meet a Maguire freekick with a diving header that Davies had no chance of stopping.
Sunderland XI: Burge; O’Nien, Willis, Lynch, Hume; Dobson, Power; Watmore (McLaughlin, 72), Maguire, Gooch (McNulty, 53); Grigg (Kimpioka, 88). TSubs: McLaughlin, McGeouch, Flanagan, Leadbitter
Tranmere Rovers XI: Davies;Caprice,Monthe,Ridehalgh, Morris; Danns, Perkins, Ray; Jennings, Payne, Mullin (Hepburn-Murphy, 73)
Subs: Pilling, Walker-Rice, Borthwick-Jackson, Wilson, Nelson, Maddox
Bookings:Dobson,9Ray,25 Payne, 40
Attendance: 28,551