AFTER Luton Town were promoted from League One in 2019, their first season back in the Championship saw them narrowly avoid relegation by finishing in 19th position. The following season, after a few additions to the squad, they climbed to 12th.

Last term, after another summer of gradual improvement, they finished sixth and were beaten in the play-off semi-finals. In the current campaign, they find themselves sitting fourth with eight games to go despite the concession of a controversial late equaliser at Sunderland on Saturday, with their manager, Rob Edwards, gearing up for another tilt at the play-offs.

Their story has been one of steady improvement after a relatively rocky start to life back in the Championship, and is an instructive one when it comes to assessing where Sunderland find themselves as their first season back in the second tier begins to draw to an end.

The Black Cats are 11th, and while a top-six finish is almost certainly an unattainable ambition given the seven-point gap that separates them from sixth-placed Millwall, the more important cushion is the 17-point gap keeping them away from the bottom three.

For all that ambitions were rightly raised when Sunderland were forcing their way into the top six at the turn of the year, this was always going to be a campaign of consolidation. Given the lengthy absence of key players such as Ross Stewart, Corry Evans and Elliot Embleton, and the damaging departure of Ellis Simms during the January window, the fact the Black Cats can cruise through the remaining eight matches without any fears of being sucked into a relegation fight should be regarded as an achievement.

“The bigger picture now is that in the summer, we have to get recruitment right and players back that we know are important for this team,” said Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray. “It’ll be a different challenge next year, and I’d like to get to the point where if we draw 1-1 with Luton Town, we’re all really disappointed because we’ve got some really good players and a team we think should be beating Luton.

“At this moment, I’m not sure I sit here and think we should definitely beat them with the team we’re putting out. That feels negative, but it’s not meant to because it’s a reflection of the fact that we’ve got inexperienced players who are still learning how to play in the Championship against a team that have been built over a number of years and know exactly how they play and what is needed to win games in this league. I’d almost like to fast-forward ten months and see where the team is – and I think it will be so much better.”

The weaknesses within the current Sunderland team were undeniably apparent at the weekend, but they need to be balanced against the growing strengths that should serve the club well in the future.

The Black Cats undoubtedly lack attacking firepower in the ongoing absence of Stewart, with Joe Gelhardt’s lack of experience as a ‘number nine’ repeatedly evident. The Leeds loanee has tried his best to lead the line, but his natural inclination is to drop deep in an attempt to link the play, a trait that often leaves Sunderland short of bodies in the final third.

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Jewison Bennette and Amad Diallo both left the bench to positive effect against Luton, and it might well be time to install one as a central striker when Sunderland return to action against league leaders Burnley after the international break.

There was much to admire in Sunderland’s resolve as they battled back at the weekend though, with their backline once again impressing. Danny Batth and Dan Ballard have formed the bedrock of the Black Cats’ defensive efforts this season, with their partnership ensuring the youthfulness of the vast majority of those playing in front of them has not proved too much of a handicap. Trai Hume continues to develop nicely at right-back, with Luke O’Nien providing his usual combination of unbridled commitment and 100 per cent effort on the opposite flank.

Anthony Patterson was unfortunate to concede Luton’s opener, with Alfie Doughty’s long-strike flying through a host of bodies before finding the net, but having regrouped in the wake of Mowbray’s five second-half substitutions, Sunderland claimed a deserved equaliser with four minutes left after a contentious penalty decision went in their favour.

The contact between Amari Bell and Amad was minimal as the latter tumbled to the floor in the box, but having been on the wrong end of a horrendous decision against Sheffield United on Wednesday, the refereeing fates were on Sunderland’s side as Scott Oldham pointed to the spot. Amad dusted himself down and duly claimed his ninth league goal of the season, leaving him just one behind Stewart in the scoring charts.

“I just feel the team we had is what we are at the moment,” admitted Mowbray. “We are missing certain ingredients that would make us a really good team. But we have to get on with it.

“I don’t want to keep moaning about who’s not available. We’ve got the team we’ve got, so let’s keep going, trying to find a way and be competitive. I felt we were that. I’d love to be winning three or four nil every week, but in my opinion, we don’t have the ingredients at the moment to do that to teams, but we can compete. We’ve scored in 22 consecutive games now. Let’s just keep going.”