Cats need quality back-ups to cope in Championship

CUP DEFEAT HIGHLIGHTS WHY NEIL WANTS MORE ARRIVALS

IN the big picture, Sunderland’s Carabao Cup exit barely registers.

This season is all about the Black Cats’ return to the Championship, re-establishing themselves at that level after four years away and trying to work out what exactly constitutes a good finish in their first season back in the second tier.

Yet there was still an air of disappointment surrounding the cup defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.

Perhaps it was falling at the first hurdle after the excitement of reaching the quarter-finals last season while competing in League One.

Maybe it was the loss of their 18-game unbeaten run in all competitions stretching back to mid-February.

Or the fact they lost to a League One side they beat just three months ago en route to promotion.

Possibly it was the manner of the goals they conceded, giving away possession and allowing Dennis Adeniran to turn before unleashing a stunning 25-yard strike for the opener, and then being pressured into a mistake which ended with Adeniran crossing for the unmarked Sylla Sow to add the second. There were mitigating factors. Alex Neil ( right) took the opportunity to make 11 changes, with none of those who started the weekend win at Bristol City getting any action and fringe players instead getting their chances. There was rustiness from several starters and a general lack of cohesion. Wednesday, who also made eight changes, were the better side for most of the game and created more. Therein lies the rub.

Behind Sunderland’s first XI, which has collected four points from its first two games, there is little to choose between the squad players and those of Wednesday a division below.

Neil was forced to fit square pegs into round holes and it was a reminder of the urgent need for reinforcements to be brought in before the transfer deadline at the end of the month. Acknowledgement of that fact has become a constant theme of Neil’s press conferences in recent weeks.

It was the same again at Hillsborough, where Sunderland’s shortcomings underlined his point. An understrength squad crashing out of the cup is one thing, but a lack of quality cover in the Championship could prove very costly.

An understrength squad crashing out of the cup is one thing, but a lack of quality cover in the Championship could prove very costly James Hunter