WHATEVER Mick McCarthy achieves with Sunderland, Preston North End's Deepdale Stadium will always hold fond memories for the Black Cats' boss.

It was there on August 23, 2003 that McCarthy guided the Wearsiders to their first league win under his management.

He could hardly have been described as the new man in charge back then, having lost his first 11 league games - nine Premiership, two old first division - before breaking his league duck.

Defeat would have seen the Black Cats equal Darwen's century-old record of 18 consecutive football league defeats.

But by half-time on that late August afternoon goals from Sean Thornton and Marcus Stewart had done enough to settle nerves, and they ensured that Darwen remained firmly in the history books.

Fast forward a season-and-a-half and the interval mood in the away dressing room on Saturday could hardly have been more different.

Richard Cresswell struck three times in the first 43 minutes and despite defeat for Ipswich presenting McCarthy's charges with the opportunity to go top of the Championship, Sunderland just didn't turn up in the first half.

"I won't tell you what I said at half time but I wasn't happy," said McCarthy. "If I tell you I think it was our worst, most inept, dreadful 45 minutes I've ever seen our team play, then I think you can guess what I said."

Whatever it was it had the desired effect. A different side emerged after the break - not just in personnel but attitude - with the introduction of the previously out-of-favour Thornton instrumental in the turnaround.

Whereas before half-time they appeared happy to let the home side dictate play, they hassled and harried and scored twice in the second 45.

McCarthy said: "We lacked (in the first half) what we normally have which is a bit of moral courage - getting the ball passing it and playing.

"We just didn't do it. We gave away two goals from set plays which I find quite upsetting. I don't like conceding goals from them - we should have marked better.

"The second goal was indicative of our first half performance. It was a comedy of errors."

A five-goal thriller it was, but Deepdale's second highest crowd of the season could have all been going home early if the rain hadn't subsided shortly after kick-off.

Nearby games at Burnley and Rochdale were abandoned, and despite surface water slowing up play early on, the game survived.

Sunderland, however, didn't. Preston took the lead in the 12th minute after Jeff Whitley handballed.

Eddie Lewis fired over a 25-yard free-kick from the left-hand side and Brian O'Neil looked to have scored before Cresswell slid in to finish it off.

Cresswell made it 2-0 when Dean Whitehead gave the ball away after a Sunderland corner. Patrick Agyemang fed the former York City forward, who ran through and scored sweetly from 15 yards.

Cresswell completed his hat-trick two minutes before the beak with a training ground goal - again from a free-kick. Chris Sedgwick passed back to Lewis who flicked the ball up and then over the wall for Cresswell to fire home from ten yards.

McCarthy was angry and so were the players according to Thornton.

"A lot of the lads had really bad first halves but we've got a lot of good players in our team that could change it around," said the midfielder. "The gaffer said just get yourselves back into it. We got one goal, then a second and we were pressing for an equaliser.

"It didn't come but the positive thing for the side was how we performed in the second half.

"The most disappointing thing was conceding the goals from set plays. That's one of our strengths."

They nearly put it right in the second half. McCarthy dispensed with Matt Piper - making his first start since last April - and the ineffective Julio Arca. Thornton and Chris Brown stepped into the breach in a 4-3-3 formation.

Dean Whitehead had an early effort from 20 yards that flew wide of the right-hand post, before Stephen Elliott gave the Black Cats a foothold, and the 4,000 travelling support something to shout about.

Substitute Andy Welsh cut inside from the left, and although his right-footed effort was blocked it fell to Elliott who hit a 15-yard right-foot curler past Andy Lonergan for his 11th of the campaign.

Thornton had a 25-yard free-kick saved and then, with less than ten minutes left, Stephen Wright fed Thornton who smashed a left-footed shot into the bottom left-hand corner from the edge of the box.

A late Thornton free-kick that came to nothing was the best the Black Cats could muster late on.

Despite two losses in their last three games, defeat for today's Sunderland is far less common than for the team of 2003.

Deepdale, however, maybe fast losing its appeal to McCarthy.

Result: Preston North End 3 Sunderland 2.

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