Wear capable of coping with adversity now, insists skipper

CORRY Evans believes Sunderland’s performance against Norwich City in the wake of Alex Neil’s departure demonstrated the squad has matured since Lee Johnson’s dismissal seven months ago.

Neil was absent yesterday lunchtime as he waits to be confirmed as Stoke City’s new boss and, while the Black Cats were beaten 1-0 by Norwich City at the Stadium of Light, their display against a side regarded as Championship promotion favourites gave the players and the fans a lot of encouragement.

It was a far cry from Sunderland’s outings in February following Johnson’s sacking and prior to Neil’s appointment, when their chances of winning promotion from League One were severely dented by a home defeat against basement side Doncaster Rovers followed by a defeat at Cheltenham Town.

Skipper and Northern Ireland international Evans said: “We experienced losing a head coach last season with the sacking of Lee Johnson.

“We probably didn’t apply ourselves well enough in the couple of games which followed but that has probably helped us this time.

“We have grown as a group since last season and a lot of the younger lads have gained a lot of experience and played a lot of games since then.

“Last season was probably their first season in football but they have been through a lot already.

“We have been through a lot together as a squad.

“The pressure which comes with this club, you have to remain tightknit in the dressing room and stick together because if you lose that togetherness it will go to pot. We cannot affect anything outside the walls of our dressing room.

“We just have to stay together - it is part and parcel of football, managers come and go all the time.

“We have to try not to lose the momentum we have built up through the start of the season.”

Sunderland could easily have beaten the Canaries, hitting the woodwork twice and seeing gwo efforts cleared off the line, before Josh Sargent scored the only goal of the game 15 minutes from time.

Evans added: “We deserved at least a point, if not to have won.

“That shows how far we have come as a team that we are disappointed not to have come away with at least a point against probably the strongest team in the division.

“I was proud of the performance from the lads but we have to stick together and keep trying to move forward.”

Evans had opportunities of his own, a shot from just outside the box blocked and then an effort from inside the area which needed defender Grant Hanley to throw his body in front of the ball to prevent it finding the net.

He said: “The lads keep saying ‘one is going to go in one day!’