Far from boring Black Cats never know when to call a game lost
Walsall 2 Sunderland 2
SUNDERLAND do not tend to do boring. The Black Cats were at Bescot Stadium for the first time in as many weekends, but a pulsating match will have supporters counting the days until they can go back. It was a game the purists ought to have stayed at home for, but those who look to League One for thrills and spills rather than fantasy football, this was a game to die for. The 3,279 away fans will have enjoyed it far more than their counterparts, after seeing their side come back from 2-0 down to claim a point despite having a man sent off. There was no shortage of talking points.
Spirit at the double When Jack Ross was talking about the identity he is trying to build at Sunderland, he could not have hoped for a better display of the spirit he wanted than Sunderland showed in the last 40 min- IT might have been freezing cold, but still it was a real roll-your-sleeves up game for Sunderland’s players at the Bescot Stadium.
In the last few years, too many would have hidden away, but this current team is made from something different.
At 2-0 down with a man sent off less than 10 minutes into the second half, it looked like game over. The Black Cats never thought it for a second. Only one of them ducked out. Shortly before Josh Ginnelly’s goal, Bryan Oviedo seemed to have utes or so at the Bescot Stadium.
You could fault the way the Black Cats failed to take advantage when they were on top in the early stages; you could criticise Max Power’s stupidity in getting sent off; you could grumble at the way Sunderland played for half an hour with 10 men, and moan about the way they lost their cool at times; but you could not criticise their spirit one little bit .
Sunderland have only been 2-0 down once before under Ross, and against Championship side Sheffield Wednesday there was no coming back in the League Cup.
When Josh Ginnelly’s electric start to the second half saw him put Walsall 2-0 ahead against the 10 men, it was hard to see anything other than the Black Cats’ second League One defeat of the season.
They were just not prepared to accept that, though.
Ross made good substitutions, and Aiden McGeady, moved into a freer role, bossed the game. The two came together instantly when McGeady equalised seconds after Chris Maguire’s introduction.
Sunderland laid siege at 2-1, but as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes, decided it was not for him. The Costa Rican slipped over chasing a pass from Aiden McGeady. He stayed on the turf, clutching his right hand and wincing in pain.
Maybe it is unfair to say he looked like he did not fancy it, but whatever the reality, he was quickly substituted.
Certain games are made for certain players, and in situations like the ones Sunderland were backed into when Ginnelly curled the ball into the net are not usually the moments you look to your flair players.
McGeady, though, rose to the Walsall began to counter-attack and it suddenly became hard to guess which end the next goal would be scored at. Lynden Gooch got it in the 89th minute, and might have had another in the 95th minute. This team refuses to be beaten.
Terrible timing from Power Power can have no complaints at being sent off after chasing a heavy first touch and launching himself into Liam Kinsella.
It was his third red card of the season, which is making the talented central midfielder – who justifiably replaced the injured Dylan McGeouch after his substitute performance against Wycombe Wanderers – a major liability.
Getting a five-match ban is bad enough, but Power has somehow timed it so that all three of his suspensions have taken in a Football League Trophy game, which he is also not allowed to play in, despite it not counting towards his ban.
Having only signed after the Charlton Athletic game, Power will have been unavailable for 16 matches before Christmas. The latest ban will take in the top-of-the-table clash with Portsmouth – unless next week’s game challenge. Freed up to play behind substitute Chris Maguire – the sort of feisty character much more associated with the sort of battle Sunderland got dragged into – he ran the game from that point on.
It was McGeady who scored the goal which started the comeback, pouncing on to the ball which bounced his way as Lynden Gooch touched it on.
With boots flying, there was always a chance McGeady could get hurt. He did not care. He had a fightback to launch.
From that point on, McGeady was at the heart of all that was good about Sunderland’s play, happy to drift out wide to cause mayhem, and always in control when he got the ball in the middle.
Twice he created chances for an equaliser by picking out Adam Matthews.
The right-back volleyed the first across goal but there was no one to get on the end of it. He headed the second against a defender scrambling for the line.
When you can add flair like McGeady’s to the grit his team-mates