MICK McCARTHY admitted that his side have become the victims of their own success, after seeing his charges booed off at the Stadium of Light yesterday.

The Wearside faithful made their feelings known after the final whistle brought to an end a truly awful game of football.

McCarthy had few positives to take from a match where Chris Brown grabbed his fourth goal of the season to cancel out Darius Henderson's 15th minute opener for Gillingham.

Entertainment was in no supply rather than short supply, and the fans' frustrations boiled over at the end.

McCarthy accepted the supporters were entitled to boo, and felt it was the increased expectations that have accompanied his side's climb up the table to the fringes of an automatic promotion place as the reason behind the fans venting their anger.

McCarthy said: "They've come, they've paid and they've given us the bird. They're entitled to do that.

"But what I will say is it's the players here that have got us into the position we are in now.

"The expectations have been raised by those group of players who have come to this football club and done really well for me.

"We could have put ourselves into second spot and I think over the Christmas period we've got people projecting results for us.

"We shouldn't do it - just look at the next game.

"I heard people talking about taking the maximum 12 points. Just look at the next game. Please stop projecting results because it just doesn't happen.

"It hasn't happened and what we've got to do now is get back to winning ways."

The Sunderland boss opted for a 4-3-3 formation to the surprise of many, with a medial knee knee ligament injury to Julio Arca forcing him into changes.

Sean Thornton was rewarded for his second half display at Deepdale with his first league start of the campaign with Brown in alongside Stephen Elliott and Marcus Stewart up front.

McCarthy said: "I'd lost Liam, I'd lost Julio and I thought we'd played excellent in the second half at Preston playing that way.

"They had to change the shape of their team to counter us. When they did they played better - it suited them more. It just wasn't happening for us today."

Gills manager Stan Ternent was pleased to get a point but knew the Kent side could have been heading back down the motorway with all three.

The Tyneside-born boss is a self-confessed Sunderland fan and while understanding the fans' frustrations at the final whistle called on the Wearside supporters to get behind their team.

He said: "I thought we could have nicked it at the end but that might have been unfair.

"I thought the draw was a fair result. It's never an easy place to play for players.

"As a Sunderland supporter I think they should get behind Mick McCarthy and the team but you can understand the supporters' frustrations.

"If they get promoted then I for one would be a happy man."

l McCarthy last night admitted he'll be forced into more changes for this weekend's FA Cup game at home to Crystal Palace, after skipper Gary Breen became the latest player to join the casualty list with a knee injury.

McCarthy said: "We'll have to assess Breen tomorrow. Julio Arca damaged his medial knee ligaments but we still don't know how serious it is.

"Liam Lawrence we don't know and Robbo (Carl Robinson) will be fit for Saturday.

"He could have been involved today but I couldn't afford to have him on the park and get injured again."