Tempers fray but patience pays as Cats beat the Gills
Sunderland secured three crucial points from a badtempered contest in Gillingham.
A f rac t i ou s e n c ou nte r turned on its head in five chaotic second-half minutes, with Lee Burge saving a penalty from Jordan Graham before midfielder Alex MacDonald saw red.
The10menofthehomeside tried to cling onto the point, but were finally undone late on by a penalty from substitute Chris Maguire.
The Black Cats had feared that some big missed chances, particularly from midfielder Josh Scowen, could prove costly.
But any nerves were well and truly allayed when Lynden Gooch broke from deep in the final minutes, carrying the ball from the halfway line before converting from close range.
SunderlandhadfacedSteve Evans’ side four times last season,andsotherewasnodanger of being caught cold by their physical approach.
Eager to put a challenging week to bed, Phil Parkinson had again made four changes for the contest and reshuffled his pack.
Most notably, talented forward Maguire was left out of the starting XI for the first time in the campaign, having previously only missed out due to minor knocks.
As expected and amid truly atrocious conditions, the home side started by working the ball quickly into the corners and bombarding the Sunderland box from set-piece situations.
The Black Cats looked comfortable enough to begin with, though they did have a let-off when Gillingham recycled possession after a free kick was cleared.
Rob McKenzie spotted an opportunity and chipped a pass into the box,which the unmarked Dominic Samuel volleyed over the bar on the turn. Within minutes, his forward partner Vadaine Oliver had a
half-chance of his own, pinging a bouncing corner over the bar from the penalty spot.
It was a turgid contest, with much of the action taking place in the dugouts; every decision was fiercely contested in a bruising contest.
Parkinson had urged his side not to get too sucked into that physical battle, to get the ball down and play.
It took them a while to do so but when they did, opportunities opened up.
They did have the ball in the back of the net 25 minutes in, but Luke O’Nien was flagged offside as his header from a Scowen free-kick found the far corner.
The pair combined again five minutes later, forging the
best move of the half and one from which the visitors should have scored, Scowen snatching at the chance and firing over.
Moments later he did the same again from the edge of the area.
Gillinghamlookedexposed, though the game again lost its rhythm close to the interval, defined by the constant niggling fouls that broke up play.
Sunderland had enjoyed the better of it in terms of chances created, though the home side had spurned a big opening when MacDonald overhit a pass into the box, where Kyle Dempsey was waiting to convert.
The home side started the second half brightly, taking control of the contest before the remarkable passage of play that turned it on its head.
The Black Cats were on the attack when a loose pass was played straight into the feet of Graham, who broke forward into space. His pass inside Tom Flanagan found Ryan Jackson, and the Sunderland defender had little option but to bring him down.
Graham’s penalty, though, was poor. Burge saved well to his right, and Samuel then somehow turned the rebound into the ground and over the bar.
Gillingham broke forward again moments later, but midfielder MacDonald was out of control as he raced to try and beat O’Nien to a loose ball. The challenge was reckless, and the red card produced instantly.
In a moment, the Black Cats had been given a major route into the contest, half an hour still to be played.
The goal should have followed within minutes, Aiden O’Brien and Scowen proving wasteful.
Unsurprisingly, a reshuffled home side were beginning to tire, Lumley forced into a fine save as a deflected effort from Charlie Wyke flew up to his right.
The pressure eventually told just inside the final ten, Wyke brought down in the box as he looked to turn and shoot.
The referee had been unsure, but pointed to the spot after a flag from the linesman.
Maguire made no mistake, sending Lumley the wrong way.
Gillingham tried to rally, but were caught out when losing possession near the halfway line, allowing Gooch to break forward and seal the three points.
Sunderland XI: Burge; McLaughlin, Wright, Flan a ga n ; O ’ N i e n , L e ad b i tter, Scowen (Maguire, 80), Gooch, Hume; O’Brien (Graham, 69), Wyke.
Su b s : M atth ew s , D i amond, Sanderson, Graham, Maguire, Power, Grigg.
Gillingham XI: Lumley, Jackson, Tucker, Ogilvie, Medley,Dempsey,McKenzie, MacDonald, Graham (Coyle 86), Samuel (Robertson, 65), Oliver (Akinde, 69).