Southend staged a stunning comeback to draw with Portsmouth

JACK ROSS was left with mixed emotions after his Sunderland side clawed back a two-goal deficit to claim a draw with Accrington Stanley.

Trailing to Billy Kee’s penalty and a Paul Smyth goal, Sunderland claimed a point thanks to second-half strikes from George Honeyman and Aiden McGeady.

Their comeback provided proof of the squad’s resilience, but the result means the Black Cats have now failed to win in seven of their past nine league games.

Ross said: “I don’t want to be repetitive and sit here all the time and say it’s frustrating, but it is. A bit like Tuesday (when Sunderland drew 1-1 with Blackpool), it’s a peculiar set of emotions because for most of the game we played quite well, but for a short spell it was the polar opposite. It was a bit like that on Tuesday.

“There has to be an element of realism about not winning these games.”

Will Grigg had missed two gilt-edged chances on Tuesday, and the £4m deadline-day signing was at it again early on, tamely side-footing wide after Reece James crossed from the left, before flicking a first-time shot over the crossbar after Luke O’Nien’s long throw flicked off a defender’s head. Accrington’s barren run in front of goal ended on the halfhour as Jack Baldwin felled Smyth with a reckless challenge in the penalty area. Kee stepped up and hammered home from the spot.

Stanley doubled their lead seven minutes into the second half, with Smyth heading home Sean McConville’s cross.

Sunderland needed a lifeline, and it arrived three minutes later, with Honeyman tapping home from close range after Grigg slid Chris Maguire’s cross into his path.

Maguire made an immediate impact after coming off the bench, and his 62nd-minute cut-back enabled McGeady to score. While John Coleman’s Accrington are still to claim a league win since Boxing Day, the quality of their performance suggests they should be more than capable of avoiding relegation, and earning a second season in the third tier.

Coleman said: “We were brave, we tried to pass the ball. I just thought it was a fantastic game. I enjoyed it, but because we haven’t won since Boxing Day, it is disappointing not to get that win.”