What happened to Sunderland?
29 October 2007
Sunderland 1 Fulham 1
Expectation was high because, it may be stating the obvious, but you have to win home games against the lesser lights in The Premier League and Fulham certainly fall into this category.
However it was another case of bad start, good finish but, at this level, it has to be good all the way through!
Sunderland's first half performance was so inept that the crowd became ultra-frustrated and this heaped even more pressure on to the players. Fortunately, Fulham were only a shade better and the only goal of the first half was from a fine strike from Simon Davies from a free-kick some thirty yards from goal. All credit to the player but it had come a long way so question marks against Craig Gordon are inevitable. Booed off at half time and read the required riot act by their manager, Sunderland re-appeared a different side so hope still prevailed. However it looked bleak again when Halford completed a poor day's work by tugging the shirt of Healy to warrant a second yellow and off he had to go.
However, it was the ten men who kept the pressure on and were rewarded when Kenwyn Jones kept up his recent fine goal-scoring form by nodding in with only four minutes left. A well deserved reward for the big striker who put in another fine shift.
With a trip to Man. City looming, there is every chance that Sunderland will be ruing that first half performance and the loss of two vital points which, on another day, could so easily have been achieved.
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