SUPER SUBS TO RESCUE FOR NEIL
ALEX Neil said his Sunderland side are building themselves a platform to win promotion after their late victory over Crewe.
The Black Cats were searching for inspiration for 84 minutes at the Stadium of Light when substitute Dan Neil scored a stunning goal, with fellow substitute Patrick Roberts adding a second.
It was a frustrating watch for the home fans at times, but Neil says that three clean sheets in the past four games is a sign of real progress.
“The one thing I paid attention to immediately was that we’d conceded the most goals of anyone in the top half of this league,” said Neil.
“You ain’t going to get out of this league with that, it ain’t going to happen. We’ve fixed that and then we need to get the other side right, too.
“That’s ten points out of 12 and, ironically, the two points we dropped, that was the game we performed best in against Charlton.”
Neil also praised his third
substitute Leon Dajaku, as the trio turned the tide.
Sunderland had just one shot on target in the first half, but dominated both possession and territory.
“The game altered when we brought the subs on. Patrick playing off the front man, in between the spaces was great, Neil had an impact and Dajaku was direct,” added Neil.
The home sie had dominated possession throughout, but there was only one shot on target through the whole half; Ross Stewart’s nearpost header from a corner comfortably saved. Crewe, happy to defend deep, found it too comfortable to deal with
Sunderland’s direct style. It was a pattern that continued deep into the second half and the game looked to be drifting to a stalemate when Neil intervened with a first-time finish from the edge of the area.
The game broke open and the hosts capitalised when Jack Clarke released Roberts, who took one touch before firing past Roberts from inside the box.
Neil believed his side were the most likely to win, adding: “I thought we were the dominant team. They’ve had a couple of moments where the boy has hooked it over the top and that’s disappointing.
“We had to be patient, but you know that after 60 minutes, you start making bad decisions, your legs tire, mentally you tire. Ultimately, it’s those little bits where we wanted to kick in. At this moment in time, the three points is the most important thing.”
Crewe boss David Artell said: “We’ve had the three best chances of the game and been hit with a sucker-punch.
“It’s the story of our season and where we are right now. I’ve told the lads they should be proud of their performance. It’s a cruel game.”
Artell confirmed he has made changes to his backroom staff, too. Kenny Lunt is the player development manager, with Alex Morris stepping up to assistant.