SUNDERLAND manager Mick McCarthy is fast becoming the modern day equivalent of an alchemist.

In Renaissance times an alchemist was said to have had the gift of turning base metals into gold. McCarthy, on the other hand, has a gift of turning players plying their trade in the football 'base'-ment - or lower leagues and reserves - into gold.

Saturday's Coca Cola Championship victory against Cardiff City at Ninian Park provided further evidence of that when two of his golden boys, Dean Whitehead and Liam Lawrence, struck in the second period with sublime strikes to sink the Welshmen and maintain the Wearsiders' Premiership assault.

The Black Cats' boss, who snapped up Whitehead and Lawrence, as well as several of their team-mates, for the price of what seems like "a tin of baked beans and a Woman's Weekly," saw his side climb to within one place and three points of an automatic promotion place.

It just goes to show that success can be achieved on a shoe-string budget, which is just as well given the death of the cheque book manager and the dearth of money in the game.

But aside from the goals the game as a spectacle was a dull, unremarkable affair that could have sent a glass eye to sleep.

Of course the nature of Sunderland's victory will not worry McCarthy because managers are judged on results rather than artistic merit or whether the performance was pleasing to the eye.

You only need to look down the road to the Wearsiders' North-East rivals on Tyneside to see that. Newcastle play the kind of fast-flowing, one-touch, attacking football the neutrals love to watch yet they are not far above the Premiership relegation zone, which will no doubt delight Black Cats' fans.

Saturday's win, Sunderland's third successive victory on the road, means they currently lie third in the Championship table behind Ipswich and Wigan, and two points ahead of fourth- placed Reading, who all won at the weekend.

McCarthy made three changes from last week's 2-0 home defeat to West Ham.

Marcus Stewart, without a goal in 12 games, was dropped to the bench in favour of Chris Brown, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Saturday. Julio Arca returned from a one-game suspension and slotted in on the left of midfield in place of George McCartney, who dropped one place back into left back at the expense of Neill Collins.

Cardiff fan Carl Robinson also returned to the fold following a three-match absence due to a broken nose in place of Darren Carter, who returned to Birmingham City.

Sean Thornton was named among the substitutes for the first time since the defeat at Millwall.

Sunderland arrived in the Welsh capital in McCarthy's words 'on the back of a 4-0 slapping' last season. Their last triumph on Bluebirds' soil came in a 2-1 victory in 1971.

Early signs pointed to another miserable visit as the home side, buoyed by a 3-1 victory against Gillingham last week, their first in six games, made all the early running.

City's teenage striker Cameron Jerome was the pick of the bunch and his strong running caused a few problems for the visitors' defence in the initial stages.

The first shot on target came from Joe Ledley after ten minutes. But his effort from 25 yards bobbled safely through to keeper Thomas Myhre. Moments later Cardiff keeper Tony Warner twice nearly gifted Sunderland the lead.

First he tried to dribble the ball in the box after being sold short by Willie Boland, then a poor clearance found Stephen Elliott. Fortunately his blushes were spared by quick-thinking defenders.

Sunderland had a scare on 17 minutes when Jerome somehow contrived to blaze over from a yard out following a sweeping City move from right to left. The same player was at the heart of another Cardiff attack ten minutes later when he rose above Gary Breen and flicked on to Peter Thorne, whose left foot shot bobbled weakly into Myhre's hands.

The visitors' best effort came on the half hour when McCartney and Arca linked up, as they have done on numerous occasions this season, before the Argentine's shot was deflected wide. From Lawrence's resulting corner, Robinson thundered a header goalwards, only to see Warner fingertip his effort to safety.

Cardiff's urgency and first-half dominance certainly made a mockery of their fourth from bottom position, but a failure to be clinical in the early stages cost them dearly. And as the game wore on, skipper Breen and Steve Caldwell grew in stature and dominated the home attack.

The Black Cats survived an early scare at the start of the second half when Myhre dropped a corner at the feet of Jerome, but the ball was hacked clear.

An uncharacteristic error by Robinson 15 minutes later led to the bustling Jerome being put through on goal. The Welsh international's blushes were spared, however, when his skipper was alerted to the danger and forced him wide.

At this stage there was more entertainment on the terraces than on the pitch with supporters from both sides swapping humorous limericks. References to sheep, fierce rivals Newcastle United, Alan Shearer and British patriotism were high on the agenda, as well as the home supporters' tacky take on Spandau Ballet's Gold. Even a streaker tried to liven up the proceedings before he was bravely wrestled to the floor by a steward.

All this changed, however, when Whitehead illuminated the dour affair by crashing the ball past a hapless Warner into the right-hand top corner of his net on 68 minutes.

Lawrence applied the coup de grace ten minutes later when he curled a shot round the Cardiff keeper from the edge of the area.

There seemed nothing on as Stephen Wright's cross seemed to miss everyone. But Arca picked up the loose ball and teed-up an under-the-weather Whitehead from 25 yards. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, the midfielder wasted no time in thumping it home.

The visitors should have made it two when Lawrence danced around left back Chris Barker to set up substitute Michael Bridges, only for the former Leeds striker to snatch at the chance and mis-kick woefully wide.

Lawrence's fourth goal of the season wrapped it up three minutes later, however, in a classic smash and grab counter-attack.

McCartney broke up the Cardiff attack and quickly found Arca, who slid the ball through to Bridges. The substitute allowed the ball to drift to his side, before feeding the former Mansfield winger right of centre. He dropped his shoulder and curled the ball past the flailing left arm of the keeper from 20 yards.

Result: Cardiff City 0 Sunderland 2.

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