TRAI HUME admits Sunderland are paying a high price for their inability to defend set-pieces, with Huddersfield Town’s winner on Wednesday night the latest crucial goal the Black Cats have conceded from either a free-kick or a corner.

Sunderland’s defenders were not alert to the danger as the Terriers enacted a short free-kick routine at the John Smith’s Stadium, with Anthony Patterson only able to claw Jack Rudoni’s shot into the path of Matty Pearson, who bundled home from close range.

In their previous away game at Middlesbrough, the Black Cats conceded when a free-kick ended with Marcus Forss volleying home, while January’s away game at Ipswich also saw a free-kick prove costly when Conor Chaplin rose unopposed to head home the winner.

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“It’s a tough one to take,” said Hume, in the wake of the Huddersfield defeat, which saw Sunderland drop to tenth in the table. “I thought in the first half, as a team, we weren’t good enough, and then we conceded another sloppy goal from a set-play.

“We need to start working on that a bit better, and more closely. We’ve been doing that, but it still seems to keep on happening.”

Sunderland attempted to claw their way back into the game in the second half at the John Smith’s Stadium, but were unable to claim an equaliser despite dominating the closing stages.

One of their best opportunities fell to Hume, but after bursting into the box, the Northern Ireland international could only prod in a shot that Lee Nicholls was able to turn around the post.

“That chance at the end, by the time I got there, I was knackered,” admitted the full-back. “I’ve run the whole way from our box to their box. I didn’t think the keeper was that close or I probably would have dinked it. I tried to place it, and he just touched it.”

The defeat leaves Sunderland a point adrift of the play-off places ahead of Saturday’s trip to St Andrew’s to take on a Birmingham City side led by former Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray.

“It’s still tight,” said Hume. “There are still games to play, and we have a lot of teams to play. If we can keep on trying to get points as much as we can, and get points off the teams that are close to us, then that’s what we’ll try to do.”