Undaunted and different team
Lewis Grabban and inset left, Brendan Halloway IN some respects it was the same as usual, Sunderland failing to get a win in their first match of the season, as they have done every time for the last seven Augusts.
In many others, though, this was a different Black Cats side from the one which dropped out of the Premier League without a whimper, and even the one that cropped up occasionally but alarmingly in pre-season.
Playing a positive 4-4-2, looking hungry for the challenge and undaunted by an early setback, Simon Grayson’s side was rewarded with a hard-earned point in a 1-1 draw with Derby County. That description of it was as important as the actual result.
What did we learn as debutant Lewis Grabban scored Sunderland’s goal from the penalty spot?
Mentally fragility was one of many alarming things about the Black Cats’ 2016-17, and they showed it a couple of times in pre-season too.
The 12th minute was a case of same old, same old, Derby scoring with their first shot. Sunderland had actually dominated until then.
An unmarked player finding the net after a cross deflected into his path seemed to just be sticking to a familiar script, particularly when new left-back Brendan Galloway had been beaten so easily by Johnny Russell.
Plenty of times under David Moyes and even under Simon Grayson in pre-season (against Scottish opposition, bizarrely), the roof would have come in. This time, though, Sunderland held steady.
Jason Steele spilled Tom Huddlestone’s 20thminute long-ranger and the chance might have been gobbled up had it not been for the presence of Tyias Browning, alert to the danger. Once that scare was out of the way, though, the Wearsiders regained their feet and reasserted their domination of the first half. Derby were much better in the second, testing Sunderland’s resolve, but it was an examination they passed. The near-20,000 empty seats at the Stadium of Light did not make for great television viewing, but the almost 30,000 which were filled sounded great. Given plenty of encouragement by their players – none more so than captain Lee Cattermole – the Black Cats supporters who turned up did so intending to do just that. A 12th-minute goal from Bradley Johnson tested their patience but even before the home players got a hold of themselves, the fans had stood by them.