Cats lose another life

SUNDERLAND manager Chris Coleman admits the club’s battle for survival will be heart-stopping stuff.

The Black Cats remain bottom of the Championship after a 3-3 draw at home against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

“It’s going to be heart attack city every week,” said Coleman. “Which I’m not looking forward to, but it’s coming.

“It’s going to be a fight. If you go into a fight on your hands and knees trying to crawl out of it, you’re going to get kicked in the backside. You’ve got to stand your ground and swing back.”

Jake Clarke-Salter’s lunge on Adama Traore reduced Sunderland to 10 men, but Traore’s swipe at Bryan Oviedo soon left numbers level. Patrick Bamford scored twice for Boro before Grant Leadbitter’s penalty tugged at the heartstrings, with the visitors’ skipper heading to the patch of turf where his father’s ashes were sprinkled.

Callum McManaman rescued a draw for Sunderland late in injury-time and made his own point, running to Tony Pulis and gesturing none too politely.

Pulis said: “He was disappointed when he was at West Brom I never picked him. He went to Sheffield Wednesday and they didn’t pick him and he is here and they don’t pick him. I understand the boy is very frustrated.”

Aleksandar Mitrovic is enjoying proving Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez wrong in loaning him out, making one goal and scoring the other as Fulham beat Championship leaders Wolves 2-0.