IT started with the optimism of a goalless draw at Arsenal, but ended with Sunderland back in North London simply grateful to have avoided the drop. This has been another season of chronic underachievement for the Black Cats, who ultimately finished just three points and one place clear of the bottom three.

There have been sporadic highs along the way, and the arrival of Paolo Di Canio unquestionably altered the course of a campaign that might otherwise have ended with Sunderland in the Championship, but there can be previous little satisfaction derived from nine months of largely unimpressive toil.

Gareth Bale's outstanding last-gasp winner on the final afternoon might have meant little, other than reaffirming the Tottenham winger's claim to all the personal honours on offer this season, but it seemed a fitting way for Sunderland to sign off.

There had been plenty of honest endeavour in the previous 89 minutes, but there was precious little quality on display and by the end, the Black Cats were a thoroughly bedraggled bunch.

Reduced to ten men after David Vaughan became the third Sunderland player to be dismissed in the space of four matches, the visitors finished with Mikael Mandron, Billy Knott and Adam Mitchell on the pitch.

If Ellis Short was in any doubt about the desperate need for reinforcements this summer, it will surely have been dispelled by one look at the Sunderland line-up that finished yesterday's game.

Perhaps that was in Di Canio's thinking. The Italian is only too aware of the limitations of the resources he inherited from Martin O'Neill, but it remains to be seen how much of a transfer kitty he is afforded this summer. It will surely have to be substantial if Sunderland are not to find themselves scrapping for survival again in 12 months time.

Brought in with the sole target of keeping the Wearsiders in the Premier League, Di Canio has achieved his aim. That looked tough enough when he replaced O'Neill; ensuring Sunderland are not relegation fodder again next season might well prove even more difficult.

Ideally, how many of yesterday's starting line-up would he want lining up for the first game of next season? Simon Mignolet? Certainly. Carlos Cuellar and John O'Shea? Possibly. The likes of David Vaughan, James McClean, Connor Wickham and Danny Graham? You suspect they'd hardly be his first choice, although as previous Sunderland managers have learned to their cost, moving unwanted players out of the club can be exceptionally difficult.

So while Di Canio's decision to leave Phil Bardsley and Matt Kilgallon out of yesterday's squad underlined the Italian's anger at the duo's ill-advised trip to a casino last week, moving them on this summer might not be a simple process.

In their absence, which exacerbated the unavailability of the suspended Craig Gardner, Di Canio was forced to field Seb Larsson and Jack Colback as an untried full-back pairing. To their credit, the midfield duo settled in to their new roles with quiet efficiency.

Colback was particularly impressive, comprehensively curtailing the attacking threat of England international Aaron Lennon and continuing to enhance a reputation that has seen him emerge as Sunderland's most versatile, and arguably valuable, player in the second half of the season.

In truth, the entire Black Cats side defended manfully for the most part, with Tottenham struggling to carve out clear-cut chances despite their desperate need for a victory to aid their pursuit of a Champions League place.

Mignolet was called into action in the fifth minute, turning Emmanuel Adebayor's near-post strike around the post, but was not tested again until he claimed Tom Huddlestone's speculative long-range strike midway through the first half. In fact, his toughest assignment before the interval was clawing away an errant back-header from John O'Shea that briefly looked like resulting in a calamitous own goal.

Things might have been different had Andre Marriner awarded a penalty when Larsson appeared to foul Bale in the 20th minute – the referee, who was a long way away from the action, opted to book the Welshman for diving – but the interval arrived with Sunderland able to claim they had created the best opportunity of the first half.

Wickham's one-two with Graham enabled him to drill in a low shot from the edge of the six-yard box, but Hugo Lloris produced an excellent reflex save.

Wickham's laid-back demeanour was infuriating Di Canio on the touchline, but the England under-21 international's attacking capabilities were evident again shortly before the break when he swivelled to fire in a shot that was blocked by Dawson.

For all that Di Canio clearly has misgivings about Wickham's commitment and motivation, it is questionable whether a club of Sunderland's attacking limitations can afford to jettison a young player with obvious potential.

That potential was apparent again five minutes after the break as Wickham dispossessed a loitering Huddlestone in order to release Graham, but while the North-Easterner skipped around Dawson, he was unable to squeeze his shot past Lloris.

Much of Spurs' second-half attacking was every bit as laboured as their efforts before the break, although the hosts could again claim to have been the victims of a poor refereeing call.

O'Shea clearly blocked Adebayor's 51st-minute shot with his hand – the Sunderland skipper was like a cricketing outfielder as he flung himself to the ground to claw the ball away – but Marriner somehow failed to spot the offence. If his first-half decision to penalise Bale was debatable, his second-half failure to punish O'Shea was inexplicable.

Spurs' players must have feared it was not going to be their day at that stage – the taunting of the Sunderland supporters had already confirmed that Arsenal had taken the lead at Newcastle – and the hosts' misgivings will only have intensified when the scoreline remained blank despite a remarkable penalty-box scramble shortly after the hour mark.

Not content with blocking a shot from Scott Parker after Mignolet failed to hold a cross, Colback somehow deflected Lennon's follow-up shot onto the base of the right-hand post. Holding on with 11 men would have been quite an achievement, but Sunderland's task became even harder when they were reduced to ten with 15 minutes left.

Vaughan had already been booked for one clumsy second-half challenge when he clattered into Lennon and was deservedly dismissed.

Could the Black Cats continue to repel Spurs to the final whistle? Not when there was someone of Bale's capabilities desperate to have a final influence on the season.

With one minute remaining, the Welshman cut in from the left flank to curl a magnificent 25-yard strike past Mignolet.

From a Tottenham perspective, Arsenal's victory on Tyneside meant the goal was immaterial. From Sunderland's point of view, it merely ensured the final league table confirmed just how narrowly relegation had been avoided.