TONY MOWBRAY was proud of his Sunderland players’ efforts as they pushed Fulham all the way in their FA Cup fourth-round replay, but bemoaned the slow start that ultimately proved costly at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats crashed out of the FA Cup as they suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Cottagers, who progress to meet Leeds United in the fifth round.

Sunderland were second best for the opening quarter of the game, with Harry Wilson firing Fulham into an early lead, and while the Wearsiders improved as the evening wore on, they were ultimately undone by their slow start.

Mowbray said: “I think we've given a good account of ourselves over the two legs, we just needed to be a bit braver at the start.

“I'd say that we've conceded a couple of poor goals, which isn't like us, but even at 3-1, the fans stuck with the team and we managed to get back into it.

“We started really tentatively, and I thought they controlled it from the back. I managed Tosin Adarabioyo at Blackburn and what a footballer he is. They deepen off, work it across and wait to find the pivot - if your press isn't quite right then they are out and into your backline.

“We didn't quite get it right in the first ten minutes, and that was disappointing. But we adjusted it, got the crowd engaged, and made opportunities.

“There is a frustration that without a striker, I want them to pull the trigger more often. Everyone wants to play an extra ball in the box for someone to side-foot it in. That's the only frustration really, because we did have a go.”

Mowbray was also disappointed at the officials’ decision to only play four minutes of added time at the end of the game, even though the second half featured a host of stoppages for goals and substitutions.

He said: “How four minutes goes up is mind boggling, there were about ten substitutes, two injuries, four goals... but there we go.

“I really like the way Fulham play and you can feel their quality and their talent, there's no shame in losing. We've given them a good go.”