WHEN it comes to footballing savvy, Mick McCarthy has it in spades.

So just as one swallow doesn't make a summer, the Sunderland manager knows one defeat doesn't necessarily make for a relegation battle.

As he analysed Saturday's opening day loss to Charlton at the Stadium of Light which completed an imperfect ten for the boss following his nine successive top flight defeats at the end of the Black Cats' last Premiership campaign, McCarthy was at pains to accentuate the positive.

While on the face of it a 3-1 loss to one of the top flight's less glamourous sides - a side that played for most of the second-half with ten men after Darren Ambrose's sending off on his return to the North-East - is hardly the start that Sunderland would have wanted, he knows it's early days yet.

Two goals from Darren Bent, a former Sunderland target who was called up to the full England squad yesterday for Wednesday's friendly with Denmark, and a peach of a free-kick from Danny Murphy put paid to Sunderland and ensured a debut goal from £1.1m signing Andy Gray counted for nothing.

"Can anybody put a positive spin on that? Nobody wants to hear that positive spin but we have got 37 more games to go," McCarthy said.

"West Brom won one out of 23 and stayed up (last season). Had we won we would have felt a lot happier, but would we have been a top Premier League side? The answer to that is probably no."

While McCarthy's assessment is accurate, once away from the glare of the media on Saturday night he must have thought to himself 'this is going to be a long, hard season'.

That's not saying it's Mission Impossible, but, based on the performance against Alan Curbishley's side, Sunderland have to learn their lesson quickly and time is not on their side.

Charlton possessed too much nous for their opponents and exposed weaknesses that, while they must have been there last season, never came to the fore due to the poorer quality of competition in the Championship.

"I think Sunderland have realised it's a tough league," Curbishley said afterwards, pointing out the all too obvious.

"We have come here a mid-table team - a mediocre mid-table team in the pundits' eyes at the start of the season - and shown how tough the league is.

"But I have just said to Mick it is a long, long season and this is just one week."

Sunderland, who played five of McCarthy's ten summer signings at some point during the game in strikers Gray, Jon Stead, midfielder Tommy Miller, keeper Kelvin Davis and defender Nyron Nosworthy, a second half substitute, were under the cosh from the off.

After Alexei Smertin had given warning of Charlton's attacking intent, Bent took advantage of some slack defending to beat the offside trap and, after drawing goalkeeper and former Ipswich team-mate Davis, picked his spot before firing into the net ten minutes in.

The goal sparked life into the home side and some good play by Welsh down the left saw him send in a cross which just evaded the head of Stead.

Five minutes after going behind, Sunderland's defensive frailties were on show for all to see again.

The excellent Murphy found himself all alone in the box and with just Davis to beat somehow conspired to send his header over the bar from six yards out.

Gray headed wide after Gary Breen sent the ball back across the goalmouth from a far post position, and after Dean Whitehead saw his free-kick from distance comfortably saved by stand-in goalkeeper Stephan Andersen, McCarthy's men dragged themselves back into the game.

Welsh crossed from the left and after Whitehead's initial shot brought a terrific reflex save from Stephen Andersen, Gray found himself in the right place at the right time to connect with the rebound.

The thunder and rain of the first half gave way to sunshine in the second and things looked even brighter for Sunderland when Ambrose launched himself two-footed at Stephen Wright, connecting with the defender's leg, and was immediately dismissed.

Referee Howard Webb pulled the card out with all the speed of a Western gunslinger.

Ambrose, sold by Newcastle United during the summer, can rarely have been the subject of such hatred and vitriol as he trudged from the field of play, but he can have no complaints following the reckless manner of his attempted tackle.

"Mick and I went to a referee's meeting . . . with (referees' chief) Keith Hackett and he kept on about if you leave the ground when you tackle you are in big trouble," said Curbishley. "If Darren Ambrose has left the ground as he has tackled they are saying they are going to send people off, even if they get the ball. As soon as the ref went over there and started feverishly looking for his card I knew he was in trouble."

With Ambrose's departure Sunderland must surely have thought the game was there for the taking, especially when striker Dennis Rommedahl was replaced by midfielder Jerome Thomas in anticipation of an attacking onslaught.

McCarthy replaced Carl Robinson with the fleet-footed Liam Lawrence but to their surprise it was the Londoners who grabbed the all-important second goal.

After conceding a soft free-kick some 20-plus yards out, Sunderland could only watch as Murphy sent the ball over the wall and past the static Davis.

The home side went all out for an equaliser as the clock ran down, throwing three men up front with the introduction of Stephen Elliott, and it was no shock when they were caught on the counter by the speedy Bent in time added on to rub salt into the wounds.

"The lads worked hard, they have given everything. I have no grouse with them and I admire their efforts," reflected McCarthy.

"It's the first one in and we will have to suck it and see. It's going to be a learning curve for us."

Asked what it felt like to be back in the Premiership the boss showed he still possessed a sense of humour despite the obvious disappointment he was feeling.

"From May 8 until Saturday it has felt absolutely fantastic," he said.

Result: Sunderland 1 Charlton Athletic 3.

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