Solitary Point Stokes Fear of Relegation Further

The first of the “season defining” trilogy of games and hope was beginning to wrap its cold, unforgiving hands around Sunderland fans’ hearts. Blame it on the defence, blame it on the injuries or blame it on Bruce, Sunderland are where they are and need to get out of it quickly. A game against Stoke at home would surely provide brief respite from all the relegation rhetoric in the form of three points.

This seemed to be the popular consensus anyway, of course leaving room for the traditional cynicism. A mediocre attendance was expected and that is exactly what we got, with an air of trepidation covering the 35,000 that turned up like a heavy fog. Nobody expected the game to be as aesthetically pleasing as Arsenal but I don’t think anyone expected the drab, soul destroying 90 minutes that were inflicted upon us.

The game began with Sunderland on the front foot, pressing even if with little coming of it. As 20 minutes approached, however, the game was seemingly played 10 feet higher than the pitch. Stoke had the first sight of goal just after three minutes when Tuncay set up Whitehead of all people and Gordon saved well with is legs. We had a chance on ten minutes when Jones tested Sorensen’s hands with a volley. Apart from a great tackle by Mensah to stop Tuncay running free on goal the only other talking point was Whiteheads lash at Cattermole.

After being dispossessed by one of Cattermole’s characteristically tough tackles, Whitehead kicked out at Cattermole’s leg with the ball out of play. Now all we can ask from the referees is to show a level of consistency. If Jones was sent against West Ham for pushing someone off the ball, why wasn’t Whitehead sent off for kicking off the ball? Maybe Cattermole should have thrown himself to the ground and completed a gymnastics session before doing 10 rolls. It seems that referees seem to respond more to the reaction than to the actual incident.

The second half started with Stoke applying the pressure on our defence and it nearly paid off after only three minutes. Another former Sunderland player, Higginbotham, flicked the ball across the goal line only for Jones to clear desperately off the line. Mensah then charged down Whiteheads shot which went out for a corner. Worryingly that is the action finished. The rest was simply a scrappy hit and hope session with no avail. There was a blatant handball by Huth inside the box which should have been a penalty but was waved away by Webb.

This should be the most boring and drab game of the season, if it isn’t, the game that is has got some way to go to beat it.

Sunderland: Gordon, Mensah, Turner, Kilgallon, McCartney, Reid (68, Zenden), Cana, Cattermole (88, Henderson), Malbranque (68, Campbell), Jones, Bent

Man of the Match: Jones was up for the game and put a lot of effort in, even though the defence had a good game Jones gets it.

Result: Sunderland 0 – 0 Stoke

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