Ross offering no excuses for Wearmen’s lethargic display

JACK Ross refused to blame Sunderland’s busy schedule for the Black Cats’ meek FA Cup exit to Walsall.

The Wearsiders lost their second-round replay 1-0 at the Stadium of Light, Liam Kinsella’s strike early in the second half proving enough to book the Saddlers a thirdround date at Championship side Bolton Wanderers.

Sunderland have played Saturday-Tuesday for the last three weeks, including the weekend game at Accrington Stanley which was abandoned after 70 minutes due to torrential rain - but Ross was not looking to deflect attention from his side’s poor display.

He insisted: “It is no excuse. Walsall played Saturday and have had a similar fixture list.

“Our conditioning levels are good enough as a squad and there was a freshness about our team.

“I have no excuses for tonight other than we did not play well.

“First and foremost that should always fall on me, first as a manager because it is my preparation and my selection. No excuses.

“It was disappointing to come out the competition but disappointing in terms of the performance level as well.

“It was a night where we did not play particularly well, especially in the first half.

“At least in the second half, post the substitutions, we had a greater intensity even if we still did not play particularly well.

“It was one of those nights, I don’t want to say you want to quickly forget because you always want to take something from a game but it was not a memorable one for us.”

Defeat ended Sunderland’s 16-game unbeaten run in all competitions and this was also only the third time this season they failed to find the net.

The other occasions coming in the EFL Cup against Sheffield Wednesday,and the Checkatrade Trophy against Stoke City Under-21s. Roberts 6, Devlin 6, Martin 6, Guthrie 6, Leahy 6, Morris 7, Kinsella 7, Osborne 6, Ginnelly 6, Gordon 6, Ferrier 6. Not used: Dunn, Edwards, Kouhyar, Johnson, Parker, Ronan, Bates GOALS: SAFC: None WFC: Kinsella, 52 BOOKINGS: SAFC: O’Nien, Maguire, Watmore REFEREE: M Salisbury (Lancs) ATTENDANCE: 8212