Parky at the crossroads with so much to ponder
assessment of the game.
There had been spells where his side had to defend well and where Sunderland had taken control. But they were not frequent enough for the home side’s liking and it was Jon McLaughlin who was called upon to make the most crucial interventions.
Hemadesomesuperbsaves with the score at 1-1 and without him, the result could have been even worse for the Black Cats.
It leaves Parkinson with much to ponder, knowing that positive results against Bristol Rovers and Blackpool are crucial to keep his side in the race ahead of that is likely to be a then extended break.
His primary concern was with the defending that allowedtheoppositiontwofairly soft goals.
He had warned his side of the threat Gillingham posed from set plays and long throws and though they dealt with it wellintheopeningstagesofthe game,theirresponseinthesecond half was poor.
Numerousopportunitiesto clear the danger were missed for Mandron’s first and for the second, there was, in Parkinson’s own words, simply not enough desire to prevent the goal.
It’s a key issue when so much of Sunderland’s success since the turn of the year has been built on a defence that gives up few opportunities to its opponents.
That this is not the most free-flowing or creative side in the race for promotion is well known and a dip in standards at the other end could make all the difference.
Unquestionably, there is stillworktobedoneandmuch toponderintheforwardareas.
It might seem a strange comment when Kyle Lafferty scored an excellent brace on his full debut, but by and large this side is not quite playing with the same intensity and quality they were producing not so long ago at the Stadium of Light.
For a side that relies so much on tempo and pressing to forge opportunities, even a minordipcancauseproblems.
There had been a clamour for change but Parkinson had heavily hinted on Thursday thatthiswouldnotbethegame for it and there was some justification to his call.
Though disappointed with elements of the performance against Coventry, the manager had reasoned that this was a very different challenge and that at home, the players he had shown so much faith in deservedanotheropportunity.
That thinking was typified by the case of Denver Hume.
Hume has perhaps seen his form dip from where it was at the start of the year, but he played a key role in many of the home wins and began the game as his side’s best attacking outlet, driving from deep and opening up the pitch.
Those standards were not quite maintained but in the endhedeliveredoneassistand should have had another, Lafferty volleying wide a glaring opportunityshortlybeforethe header which broke the deadlock.
These upcoming away games seemed to be the moment at which the Black Cats boss might reshuffle his pack and this frustrating draw is unlikely to have changed his mind.
Sunderland find themselves at something of a crossroads ahead of the final nine games. They remain prime candidates for automatic promotion, their fate not quite in their own hands but not far off it.