Half-term report is a good one for Cats
“I STILL think we have another gear in us,” said boss Lee Johnson as he reflected on Sunderland’s situation at the midway point of the season following the 3-0 win at Doncaster.
Given the Black Cats are unbeaten in eight league games, are second in the table just a point point behind the leaders, and are averaging two points per game, if Johnson is correct the second half of the campaign promises to be an exciting ride.
Sunderland’s haul of 46 points from 23 games is their best since Jack Ross’ side reached the turn for home with 47 points and sat third in the table three years ago.
Last season the Wearsiders had only 39 points after
23 games and were seventh, albeit Johnson had been in charge for less than two months and a Covid outbreak over Christmas meant the Black Cats did not arrive at the halfway stage of their season until late-January.
The season before that, Phil Parkinson’s side had collected just 35 points after 23 games and sat way off the pace in ninth place.
So, set against that backdrop, it is hardly surprising this Christmas has seen a return to the level of optimism which fuelled Sunderland’s automatic promotion challenge with Ross at the helm in 2018-19.
There are a few key differences, however.
Firstly, Sunderland have no cup competitions to distract them this time. Three years ago they went all the way to the final of the EFL Trophy, meaning they had extra games to fit around their league fixtures.
Secondly, there is a better balance to this squad.
It has been built to get out of League One and no longer contains the remnants of Sunderland’s previous campaigns in the Premier League and Championship.
Aiden McGeady is the only nonhomegrown survivor from the Championship season and he has proved himself an asset at this level.
Thirdly, Sunderland’s achievements so far this season have come despite an injury list as long as your arm.
At times there have been as many as eight or nine players out of commission, severely limiting Johnson’s options, making rotation impossible and forcing him to fit square pegs into round holes.
The hope is the injury situation will ease, the club can bring in reinforcements in the transfer window and will therefore be stronger in the second half of the campaign.
That need for January recruits is all the more acute now we know inform forward Nathan Broadhead will be missing for at least three months due to the hamstring injury he suffered in last week’s Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat at Arsenal.
The on-loan Everton man may even have played his last game this season.
The news of the severity of Broadhead’s injury was the one dark spot on an otherwise bright afternoon at Doncaster.
Sunderland were in total control from first whistle to last, Ross Stewart converting a penalty inside the first ten minutes after Leon Dajaku had been tripped by Branden Horton.
Elliot Embleton added the second just before half-time before later hitting the post.
Alex Pritchard, who pulled the strings in the number ten role all afternoon and had provided the assist for Embleton, saw his shot go in off Rovers’ teenage defender Ben Blythe for the third goal only five minutes into the second half.
It was a comprehensive yet comfortable victory against the relegation strugglers and, just like Sunderland’s season, there was the feeling they still had another gear.