A lacklustre Sunderland display saw fellow Championship strugglers Barnsley run out 1 – 0 winners at the SOL on New Year’s Day thanks to a second half header from Ethan Pinnock. Barnsley hadn’t won a game in ten attempts but were deserved winners as Chris Coleman’s side defended and played as if they were still struggling from a hangover from our horrific 2017 never mind from New Year’s Eve.
After beating Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday and moving out of the relegation zone Sunderland welcomed Barnsley to Wearside and looked to increase the gap between them and the bottom of the table. Whilst the win at Forest wasn’t pretty, and we only had one shot in the whole game, it demonstrated how Coleman has organised the team better and improved the defence.
Coleman was still without a number of first team players through injury and Lynden Gooch was the latest to join the injured list after picking up a hamstring problem although Paddy McNair was expected to be in the match day squad. With January on the horizon the rumour mill is in full flow with potential incomings and outgoings the latest being that Sunderland would be willing to listen to offers for James Vaughan.
The gaffer made two changes to the side that won on Saturday with Wilson and Maja making way for Oviedo and Vaughan. The visitors won the coin toss and chose to swap ends so we started the first half kicking towards the North Stand.
Barnsley almost took the lead inside three minutes when 26 unleashed a powerful strike from 25 yards which had Ruiter well beat but fortunately for us the ball crashed off the bar and Sunderland scrambled the loose ball clear. The visitors had another effort moments later when from a corner but a low shot from the edge of the box was dragged wide of the post.
The opening 15 minutes saw Sunderland be second best with sloppy passing and little urgency whilst Barnsley controlled the game and created problems for Sunderland with neater slicker play. Sunderland didn’t really seem up for it whilst Heckingbottom's side, backed by a decent away following, did.
Our first effort came after twenty minutes when McManaman won the ball in the centre circle and surged forward but his deflected shot was gathered comfortably by the keeper. We had a half chance after 24 minutes when a well worked attack created by Gibson passing the ball well in the midfield culminated in Love crossing low towards Vaughan but the frontman couldn’t connect with it.
After half an hour Coleman was forced into an early change when Gibson picked up a knock and he was replaced by Paddy McNair. Barnsley had their best opportunity after 35 minutes when the left winger got clean through on goal but Ruiter made a smart save deflecting the ball wide for a corner which Sunderland cleared.
Our best effort came two minutes before the break when we won a free kick 25 yards from goal. Oviedo took it and curled an effort which looked destined for the top corner but the keeper managed to get across and claw it round the post.
Coleman made a change at the break with Maja replacing Oviedo but we got off to a shocking start conceding early in the half from a corner. Sunderland defended the set piece poorly with the ball allowed to travel across the box before Pinnock nodded the ball easily past Ruiter unmarked, Matthews guilty of losing his man. We tried to respond immediately at the other end when Maja won a free kick but McGeady fired it wide.
With half an hour to go Ruiter made another good save to deny Barnsley who were well on top in the game and Coleman reacted by replacing McManaman with Asoro. We had a decent effort on goal with 25 minutes remaining when McNair had a sight of goal after Love's long throw was cleared as far as the edge of the box but McNair‘s well struck volley was inches wide of the post.
Sunderland continued to be poor sloppily giving the ball away and looking ponderous and lethargic going forward. McGeady in particular guilty of giving the ball away cheaply on a number of occasions but the visitors didn’t capitalise despite breaking in numbers.
With five minutes to go we won a corner when Matthews’ cross was deflected wide and we almost equalised from it. McGeady delivered a good corner to the front post which was flicked just over the bar by a defender then from the resulting corner we almost conceded after being hit on the break but the Barnsley striker headed wide of an open goal.
We had a late chance at the end when Asoro crossed deep to the back post which McGeady rose highest to meet but unlike Saturday he could not get his effort on target. There was six minutes injury time mainly due to the cynical time wasting tactics of the visitors who used any opportunity to run the clock down.
Despite the six minutes Sunderland couldn’t muster an opportunity in fact the visitors should have scored when 10 got in but he fired wide. At the death we had a scramble at a corner and the ball hit the post but the ref had blown for a foul anyway.
New Year, same Sunderland.
Final Score: Sunderland 0 Barnsley 1
ALS Man of the Match: Ty Browning
By Aidan Crowe
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