Black Cats ‘punished’ for lapse against Cod Army, says manager
Phil Parkinson’s verdict on Sunderland’s draw at TEAM ARE ‘STILL UNBEATEN AWAY’
SUNDERLAND were ‘punished’ for one lapse which cost them two points at Fleetwood Town, according to Phil Parkinson.
The Black Cats were in control of the game and led through Charlie Wyke’s goal on the hour, but for a brief spell Fleetwood put them under pressure and skipper Callum Connolly forced the ball home from a goalmouth scramble a little over 15 minutes from time.
It was a bitter disappointment for Parkinson and his players, particularly coming on the back of the injury-time equaliser they conceded at Doncaster Rovers last weekend.
And it means the Wearsiders have now picked up just two points from their last three league games.
“When you take the lead, you expect to win the game,” said Parkinson.
“There was just that very small period where we didn’t clear our lines properly and we got punished for it, because we weren’t under a lot of pressure prior to that.
“We did the job really well in the first half with the way we set up against a team that scored five at the weekend, we were the better side, we got the goal, but inevitably there are going to be periods where you come under pressure and you have to find a way to come through those unscathed.
“If we had done that, I think we would have gone on to regain control of the game and gone on to win it.
“Because apart from the first few minutes of the second half when Camps hit the bar and Remi made a terrific save, I felt confident in the way we set up.
“We were very comfortable in the first half. I felt we got the balance in our play about right.
“With Charlie and Danny [Graham] up front, we always had that option but we also played some good football as well.
“The key is what happens in both boxes and we’ll have a look at the quality of those balls we put into the box.
“We probably should have made more of them.
“Charlie had a great header which went just wide in the second half, but he also deserves credit for his goal because that was a brave header.”
The draw meant Sunderland climbed one place to seventh in the table, but the pressure is now on Parkinson and his team to win their back-to-back home games against relegation strugglers Burton Albion and Wigan Athletic on Tuesday and Saturday respectively.
Parkinson said on Friday: “If we had beaten Doncaster, tonight would be classed as a good point but obviously another draw is frustrating.
“Saying that, we are still unbeaten away from home and it’s a great effort from the lads to come through the fixtures we have had and still be unbeaten away.
“We now have to capitalise with our home form, starting on Tuesday night.”
Sunderland saw a penalty shout waved away in the first half when Josh Scowen went to ground under a challenge from Connolly.
It was not a stonewall penalty such as the one Sunderland were
There was just that very small period where we didn’t
clear our lines properly and we got punished for it
Phil Parkinson
denied at Doncaster last Saturday, but Parkinson felt it still should have been given.
He said: “Going back to the one at the weekend, I spoke to [referees’ chief ] Mike Jones about it and he said it was classed as the highest level mistake by a referee.
“They have a review on a Monday morning via Zoom, and it was categorised as the highest level mistake. It doesn’t make us feel any better, but that was a ridiculous decision.
“Tonight, it wasn’t as clear cut, but when you think of the penalty Max Power had given against him the other week, if that’s what penalties are being given for, there was contact inside the box and for me that’s a penalty.
“It’s not as though there were 20,000 people in here influencing him [referee Robert Madley].”
Sunderland now face Burton Albion at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday, December 1.