Cats need to draw line under this run
escaped with their unbeaten home record in tact, but Sunderland played twice since Luton Town, Barnsley and Portsmouth took to the field, and were only able to get two points out of it.
More was needed to turn up the heat and test out the mettle of the frontrunners, and facing SUNDERLAND have now recorded just two wins in their eight league games in 2019, with the other six all ending in draws.
Despite sitting fourth and registering the fewest losses in League One, the Black Cats are giving their promotion rivals too many chances to pull away.
January 1 – Blackpool 0-1 Sunderland January 5 – Charlton 1-1 Sunderland January 12 – Sunderland 1-1 Luton Town January 19 – Scunthorpe 1-1 Sunderland February 2 – Sunderland 1-0 AFC Wimbledon February 9 – Oxford United 1-1 Sunderland February 12 – Sunderland 1-1 Blackpool February 15 – Sunderland 2-2 Accrington opponents who had not won or even scored in the league since Boxing Day, everyone was rightly expecting much better from this team who just cannot seem to click at the moment.
CHRIS MAGUIRE’S TIMELY REMINDER
Chris Maguire, such a cult figure on the terraces, has been largely forgotten about in 2019, and such is the character of the feisty forward, it was no surprise he proved his point when he finally got on to the field.
Maguire’s introduction as Accrington were celebrating the second goal transformed the game.
He had a big hand in Honeyman and Aiden Mcgeady’s goals, and can consider himself unlucky that Mark Hughes broke from the wall and got back quickly and effectively to clear his curling free-kick off the line.
MAGIC FORMULA STILL NO CLOSER
In the second half at home to Blackpool on Tuesday, Sunderland had looked better for going 4-4-2 and asking Wyke to give Grigg a bit of company, so bringing the former into his starting XI and switching to the more traditional shape were the only changes manager Jack Ross made, but half a week on, it did not have the desired effect.
This time, it was when Wyke came off that Sunderland looked better, with Maguire playing in the hole of a 4-2-31.
Ross is chopping and changing a lot at the moment, but it is hard for a manager with a big squad at his disposal to keep a settled line-up when his team is not delivering the goods for him.
You worry about a centre-forward who gets off to a bad start at a new club, and Will Grigg has done just that James Hunter