Sunderland won 2-0 away at Burton in a game where the travelling SAFC supporters were treated a rare victory, James Vaughan and George Honeyman enjoying the heroics. The game lacked a bit of quality, in truth, but who cares. We won, we actually won a game of football. Can you believe it?
Burton Albion away seemed to be the game that epitomised drab Championship football, but with more breweries and boozers per capita than any other away day on planet earth, I don’t think our travelling fans mind too much. The opposite, in fact.Chris Coleman’s debut match as Sunderland manager down at Aston Villa ended in defeat, but under typically unfortunate circumstances. With Duncan Watmore confirmed to be out for the season after undergoing knee surgery, the current crop is as good as it gets for Coleman at SAFC, particularly if we don’t have a budget in January either.
Ruitter,
Matthews, Browning, O'Shea, Oviedo
McNair, Cattermole,
McManaman, Honeyman, McGeady,
Grabban
Burton started the game with good possession, Sunderland chasing the ball but holding strong at the back. I don’t think we look quite as robust in midfield with McNair in there over NDong, but McNair looks more positive on the ball. Same goes for Browning over Wilson, in fact — Marc Wilson is a more experienced defender, but is truly hopeless on the ball
Now Watmore is out of the equation, Callum McManaman has to step up. He could be a crucial player for us this season on the right wing. McManaman has quick feet and is decisively more creative than other supporting characters. With him on one side and McGeady on the other, Lewis Grabban has every opportunity to build upon his already-impressive goalscoring form. Finding a way for James Vaughan to also chip in with the goals could be the decider.
A player who I don't think has received enough credit this season is Bryan Oviedo. I feel he has been one of our stronger performers, particularly given his pairing with the often-straying, often-frustrating Aiden McGeady, who has about as much interest in backtracking as Donald Trump. The two were combining well against Burton, with McGeady's close control creating space for Oviedo to run in behind. The Spanish fullback fired the ball across the keeper in search of an advancing Sunderland player, but Burton defended well to keep the game level.
Sunderland grew into the game during the first half, racking up an impressive amount of corners and keeping the ball well. Grabban didn't seem to be in the game, but he's that kind of player, I think. He doesn't seem to do much until his name is on the score sheet, by which point you can't really complain about his performance. He's in the team to score goals, after all. He's almost the direct opposite of James Vaughan, who will go out of his way to get in the game but struggles in the goals department.
Sunderland's two centre-backs, O'Shea and Browning, were playing with significant distance between them. It was reminiscent of that Pep Guardiola Barcelona side that famously played with split CBs, only ours included a young defender on loan from Everton and 36-year-old John O'Shea (I like John, but he has the mobility of a damp bag of cement). Truthfully, it terrified me, but if this is what Coleman wants his side to do then I'm willing to give it a chance.
The biggest chance of the first half came right on the stroke of half-time. Burton sent a searching cross in from the right to find a man in the box, but he mis-hit the ball into our fans, prompting an ironic roar from the nervous away support. When Ruitter took the goal kick, Burton moved the ball up the pitch immediately, taking a shot from distance that beat Ruitter but luckily shaved the post on the way out of play. Nervy times at the end of the first period, but otherwise a pretty balanced game with Sunderland having more of the ball in the final third.
Burton squandered the first chance of the second half after penetrating our defence far too easily. After finding a clear sight of goal, Ruitter will have been grateful to see the ball soar over his head and into the crowd. Someone on the ALS Facebook referred to Robbin Ruitter as 'poppadom hands' after his calamitous performance against Millwall at home, which I thought was hilariously vivid.
Sleet began to fall around 15 minutes into the second half, and Sunderland seemed to turn up the pressure in response to the torrid conditions. Oviedo fired a cross into the box which Grabban turned towards goal, but Burton's 'keeper Bywater made a great stop to keep the game level. We started floating crosses in from the left and right, with McGeady coming more central and Oviedo being afforded license to move up the pitch given our spell of pressure, McManaman also chipping in.
Paddy McNair had been taking a battering, having to go off to change his shorts after busting his nose early in the first half, so it was no surprise to see him go off on 70 minutes. Darron Gibson replaced him, which doesn't do much for creativity but at least makes us Burton's task of breaking us down in the late stages slightly more difficult. Browning nearly saw history repeating after giving the ball away in a dangerous area, luckily Burton didn't convert after his error this time.
It took around 80 minutes for me to realise that Marvin Sordell was playing up front for Burton. Sordell tortured Sunderland in the cup when he was at Bolton, I think Martin O'Neill was manager at the time. He scuffed a good chance after Burton won a corner, the ball looping up in the air and nestling tidily on the top of the net.
There was a huge penalty shout for Sunderland after James Vaughan was pulled down in the box. A cross looped high in the air over from the right-hand side. Vaughan was nowhere near it, but he was muscled down all the same. The ref wasn't having it, though. Luckily, it didn't matter.
GOAL - Sunderland - 84 mins - James Vaughan
Sunderland won a corner on the right-hand side and left-footed Oviedo went over to take the in-swinger. He looked to have fudged it after it travelled low to the near post, but Cattermole was there to nod it up over towards the back post. James Vaughan read it well and dove to put it past the keeper, his second goal of the season. A brilliant set piece, and if that's come from the training ground I have to admit being completely impressed by it. Fantastic. 1-0.
Shit the bed.
GOAL - Sunderland - 87 mins - George Honeyman
Joel Asoro had come on after around 80 minutes, and he was crucial in Honeyman's eventual goal. The youngster showed a change of pace to beat his man, before smashing a ball across the face of goal into the path of Honeyman, who converted from close range. Unbelievable stuff, and surely a rare win, the first of Coleman's tenure at SAFC, and hopefully the first of many.
Football is a strange thing. I spent 84 minutes trying to keep myself awake before nearly pittling myself with excitement for the remainder of the game. There wasn't much negative to dwell on from this performance, rather a lack of sharpness from Sunderland. You can't really complain about lack of sharpness after a 2-0 win, however. You can't really complain about anything. Just enjoy the win, appreciate it for its novelty; its rarity. Ha'way the lads and ha'way Chris Coleman, you beautiful bloke.
Final score: Burton Albion 0-2 Sunderland
ALS MOTM: Bryan Oviedo
Chris Thompson
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