GEORGE HONEYMAN is confident that Sunderland will turn 24 hours of hurt to their advantage over the festive period.

The Black Cats skipper was left reeling after the Wearsiders went down fighting against Portsmouth in this proverbial Christmas cracker of a game.

The famous sounds of the Pompey Chimes were ringing in his ears following the final whistle as Honeyman acknowledged the travelling support.

And then, just to rub salt into wounds, the locals chorused ‘We are top of the league’ as Sunderland fans headed for the exits following this humdinger of a League One promotion clash.

But Honeyman is certain that the feelings of loss will spur on Jack Ross’s side in their drive for promotion.

“We’re going to bottle this horrible feeling for a day and then make sure we use it to our advantage for the rest the season,” said Honeyman. “You’re going to get beaten sometimes – it’s just how you react to defeat that really matters.

“We’ve got a majorly disappointed dressing room and it’s hurting but we’ll put it in the bin and I know we’ll bounce back on Boxing Day.

“And what an occasion that will to bounce back on – 43,000 fans or more and who knows it could be a sell-out but I know we’ll get the place bouncing.”

Tellingly, even in defeat Sunderland supporters showed their appreciation of the sterling effort put in by Honeyman and his colleagues after defeat by the League One pace-setters.

After a full-blooded but evenly contested first half, Sunderland were looking good bets to close the gap on their promotion rivals who failed to trouble Jon McLaughlin before the half-time cuppas.

But everything changed just two minutes after the break when flat-footed Glenn Loovens was caught out by Ronan Curtis’ through-ball and he felled Oli Hawkins inside the box.

Referee Peter Bankes had no hesitation in bringing to an end the rusty Loovens’ first league start since September. It was described as a “coming together” by Ross, who is considering an appeal against a ban, but the self-inflicted damage was done.

Gareth Evans thumped the penalty past McLaughlin and Pompey were on their way to extending the advantage over Sunderland in the race for the Championship to eight points.

In a damage limitation exercise, Ross quickly moved to re-arrange his personnel and on came centre-back Alim Ozturk to shore up the defence, but soon he was found wanting as Curtis went for the kill and surged into the box before beating McLaughlin.

Sunderland were reeling, but steadied in the ship in the Royal Naval base before exposing Pompey’s own defensive deficiencies when Luke O’Nien was left unmarked to slot home Max Power’s cross.

The comeback was short-lived as Kenny Jackett’s team raised their game at a sold-out Fratton Park and put clear water between the two teams when Ben Thompson thumped the ball home in a crowded penalty box after McLaughlin denied Hawkins.

Sunderland were up against it for the rest of the contest but rallied to prevent a goal spree by their vibrant opponents who attacked with controlled aggression to the very last.

Aside from the admirable resilience showed by the depleted visitors, a bright performance by Duncan Watmore, making his first league start of the season in place of the ill Josh Maja, proved to be a positive for Sunderland on a day of negatives.

“Everyone who knows Duncan is over the moon for him and just seeing him happy and fit is more than enough for me,” Honeyman added.

“Duncan’s a really good player but we have to be patient with him – at this stage he’s going to produce flashes of quality and he’s going to get tired.

“But he’s an absolute credit to the club the way he’s conducted himself amid a major injury lay-off and I’m sure that he will make a big difference to the team in the second half of the season.”

According to Ross, Watmore’s return to frontline duties is “brilliant for the player” and represented a “big milestone for him psychologically”.

The Portsmouth players had just completed a victory parade when Ross addressed the media at Fratton Park and he is hoping to use that to his advantage as he prepares his team for Bradford’s visit.

“You don’t need any extra motivation but you remember how it feels to lose games and you remember how bad it feels to see other teams celebrate victories,” Ross said.

“There are still lot of game still to be played and a lot of points to be won and lost and what happens at the wire is all that matters.

“There are a lot of players in our dressing room who are hurting and I know that they will take the stinginess from this game and it will help drive them forward.

“Portsmouth are a good side who are deservedly leading the table but I was proud of my team today, particularly that first 50 minutes.

“The response from the fans at the end of the game to the players was excellent. They’re not daft – they recognise that I’ve got a group whose passion reflects the way they feel about the club. Hopefully, we can replicate that performance on Boxing Day.”