As goals dry up, Cats need to start to cut loose
THERE was snow on the ground and Britain was in the grip of the Beast from the East last time Sunderland failed to score in a league game.
The Black Cats have not fired a blank in the league all season, and you would have to look back to mid-March and a home defeat against Preston North End in the Championship for the last time they drew a blank.
Chris Maguire’s goal against Luton Town kept that run going, with Sunderland on the scoresheet for a 34th league game in a row.
But if the goals have not exactly dried up, they have slowed to a trickle in recent weeks.
Because it has been a month since promotion-chasing Sunderland last scored more than one goal in a League One game, winning 2-1 against Bristol Rovers on Wearside.
And when you don’t keep many clean sheets, seven in 26 games, that is a problem.
Since that game against Rovers, Sunderland’s return of nine points from six games has kept their promotion campaign ticking along – they remain handily placed in third spot, a point outside the automatic places and with a game in hand – but without regaining the momentum it had built in October and November.
Jack Ross’ side won eight games in a row between October 6 and November 13, five of them in the league and scoring at least two goals in four of those.
But of late, while they are still creating chances, they appear to have lost their ruthless streak.
For the second successive week, Sunderland took the lead against a promotion rival but could not kill off their opponents and ended up having to settle for a draw.
Just as last week they were made to pay for spurning opportunities at Charlton Athletic, so on Saturday they found a singlegoal cushion was not enough against Luton.
I should point out here that Charlton and Luton are good sides – drawing games against the sides immediately above and below you hardly constitutes a crisis.
They are where they are because their record is pretty similar to that of Sunderland.
It is just a feeling of what might have been, had the Black
Cats been more clinical in front of goal.
To be fair, there were extenuating factors this weekend.
Ross was not helped when his 15-goal leading scorer Josh Maja fell ill on the eve of the game.
To make matters worse, Jerome Sinclair’s loan agreement was terminated early on Thursday, and Duncan Watmore was ruled out.
And then there was the performance of referee Lee Probert, a Premier League official who lost control of a League One game and whose decisions infuriated both managers.
Probert sent off Luton’s Danny Hylton for elbowing Jack Baldwin 20 minutes from the end, and Maguire in injury time for stamping on Alan McCormack, although both decisions were dubious and may well be appealed. Then there was the penalty he awarded which brought Luton’s equaliser.
The foul by Tom Flanagan on Hylton was clear enough, but Ross questioned why Probert had not spotted a foul on Maguire in the build-up.
But griping about the inadequacies of referees – however justified it may be – is ultimately pointless.
Ross and Sunderland must look forward, and find a way to turbocharge their promotion bid.
Ross knows he needs more firepower and, now that centreback Jimmy Dunne has joined on loan, the addition of another striker is his top priority.
Sunderland need to start scoring freely again if they are to avoid more frustrating afternoons such as this.