Wyke's header sees the Black Cats climb to fifth
The home side were again able to play their way through themidfieldminuteslater,and thistimeitwasstrikerMorgan Ferrier who missed a decent opening, dragging his shot wide.
Ferrier was lively and a handfulthroughouttheopening stages, offering his side an outletthattheBlackCatswere clearly lacking.
The Black Cats too often were forced to go long but Wyke was struggling to hold it up and there was little movement around him.
Tranmere were the better side, though in truth that said little in what was a painfully pedestrian contest.
Despite their control of possession and territory, they rarely tested McLaughlin, the Scotmakingasmartstopfrom a Wilson free-kick but otherwise untested.
The second half began much as the first hand ended, though Sunderland saw a glimmer of an opportunity when Max Power crunched into a superb challenge near the halfway line.
He released Maguire who spotted the run of Gooch, the attacking midfielder just unable to control the ball before it ran beyond him and out for a goal kick.
There remained little between the two teams, but Sunderland have been a regular threat from set pieces in recent weeks and it was from that avenue that they took the lead just before the hour.
Luke O’Nien did well to draw the foul near the byline on the right flank, Maguire whipping a dangerous ball into the front post. Wyke stooped to head and the home side couldn’t prevent the ball creeping into the bottom corner.
It had felt throughout as if the first goal would be crucial, suchwerethedifficultiesboth sideswerefacinginproducing anykindofcoherentattacking play in the conditions.
Though Tranmere threw on another striker, they were struggling to make inroads and Parkinson’s side were more than happy to keep things simple.
It was they who came closest to scoring when a loose ball broke for Gooch, who thumped an effort just over the crossbar with just under 20 minutes to play.
Tranmere were offering little even as Sunderland dropped deeper, the Black Cats repelling a number of balls into the box.
The crucial moment came just over five minutes from the end, as Dobson drove into the Tranmere half. Manny Monthe brought him down and the referee, who had infuriated both sets of supporters throughout the contest, booked him for a second time.
That effectively finished the game as a contest as Sunderland saw it out with ease, Josh Scowen briefly coming offthebenchtomakehisBlack Cats debut.