Cats’ famine continues

BUILDING partnerships home and away was the message from Invest in Africa portrayed on the giant electronic boards around the touchline at the Stadium of Light as Aston Villa piled further frustration on those from Wearside.

Perhaps manager Martin O’Neill could do worse than to turn to the club’s main sponsors in an attempt to solve the attacking problems currently holding back a Sunderland team with an alarming inability to hit the target – never mind find the net.

That is how desperate things are getting for the Black Cats in front of goal and, having failed to build on Demba Ba’s own goal in the Wear-Tyne derby, it is now more than eight hours of football since a player in a Sunderland shirt scored.

It is 489 minutes since Steven Fletcher scored the last of his five goals since his £12m switch from Wolverhampton Wanderers to secure a 1-0 win over Wigan on September 29 – and neither he nor those around him look like making a breakthrough.

O’Neill has been working on a greater understanding between lone striker Fletcher and the supply line to him.

Even by starting with Seb Larsson out wide, though, there was still a dearth of opportunities created by the Swede, Adam Johnson and Stephane Sessegnon.

To make matters worse just days after being dumped out of the Capital One Cup by Middlesbrough, O’Neill had to look on as his former club, Aston Villa, sealed their own rare league win courtesy of the promising attacking play of Gabriel Agbonlahor and Christian Benteke.

Agbonlahor’s first goal since Bonfire Night 12 months ago from Benteke’s knockdown proved the difference, leaving O’Neill trying to work out how to end such a worrying lack of confidence from his own attacking combinations.

The Sunderland boss said: “That’s the biggest thing. I know every manager and coach will say the same thing – to get back to the training ground and just do it. We just have to keep working on things but it is the 64,000 dollar question. It will come.”

He added: “If you told me Adam Johnson will have oneon- one with players and say the same for James McClean ... this is what I am looking for during games. But then it is up to us to help with the final ball, rather than getting it blocked, all those things come with confidence. I don’t think this is misplaced faith, I have confidence in the players.”

With McClean left out again, Larsson started on the right but soon swapped with Johnson as the first half wore on. Despite improvements from Sessegnon behind Fletcher, there were far too many occasions when Sunderland were unable to put the ball in the area from decent positions.

Steven Fletcher is brought down by Eric Lichaj at the Stadium of Light
Steven Fletcher is brought down by Eric Lichaj at the Stadium of Light

Due to Johnson’s pedigree as a Premier League winner, an England international and £10m price-tag there is extra expectation on him to be the man to deliver.

“It’s an interesting one because he has obviously found it tough going,” said O’Neill.

“The expectation here of Adam is that he beats four or five players, skips past them, and creates something or puts a great ball in.

“At the moment all those things that we feel he is capable of doing are just not right there yet. In the course of time he will be a hit here with the fans.”

While Sunderland’s six-goal tally is the worst record in the Football League, defensively they remain pretty solid and Agbonlahor’s volley was only the ninth conceded in nine league games this season.

All combined, though, the bold fact remains that Sunderland have won just one match in the Premier League this season; and one of their last 17 if last season’s results are taken in to account.

O’Neill said: “Management is trying most of the time. I have belief in the team and the players are good players just lacking in confidence. We are capable, it is nine games into the season and we have picked up nine points.”

There were Sunderland chances. The outstanding Lee Cattermole side-footed narrowly wide from Johnson’s cut-back after half an hour, while Fletcher’s tidy volleyed finish had earlier been rightly ruled out for offside.

But Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan was never threatened until Cattermole’s late strike from distance was turned away. By that time Agbonlahor had already given the visitors the lead.

When full-back Matt Lowton’s centre was nodded down at the back post by the very effective Belgian Benteke, Agbonlahor pounced ahead of Carlos Cuellar to fire in the decisive goal.

There were strong calls for a penalty when Benteke’s left arm and then right stopped John O’Shea’s goalbound header. Had that penalty been given then it is not inconceivable it would have been missed, such has been the nature of Sunderland’s season so far.

The supporters certainly refrained from showing their frustrations too early. There were mutterings from the moment Agbonlahor scored, but it was not until the final whistle had blown that the jeers and boos rang around the stadium.

O’Neill said: “It is important for us to do something to get the crowd enthused. Cattermole’s performance throughout the course of the afternoon kept people there, but to be fair we need to score some goals and the creative players need to get off and running. I would like that to happen pretty soon.”

MATCHFACTS

Goals: 0-1: Agbonlahor (57, pounced to meet a Benteke knock down with a clinical finish from six yards)
Bookings: Bardsley (33, foul); Lichaj (45, unsporting behaviour); Clark (68, foul); Fletcher (89, foul)
Referee: Michael Jones (Chester): Could have given a penalty for handball, but even then Sunderland are likely to have missed it 6
Attendance: 41,515
Entertainment: 2/5

SUNDERLAND (4-4-1-1) 
7 Mignolet: Arguably Sunderland’s most consistent player this season and hardly to blame for Agbonlahor’s winner;
5 Bardsley: Looked short of his best so early into his comeback from injury
6 O’Shea: Was given a testing afternoon by the aerial power of Benteke
5 Cuellar: Second to Benteke’s knock down when Agbonlahor reacted to volley over the line but otherwise pretty sound
5 Colback: Delivered one particularly pleasing centre to the back post, which unsurprisingly failed to find a Sunderland shirt;
5 Larsson: Was asked to take all the dead balls but found himself asked to switch from his preferred right wing role pretty early on
8 CATTERMOLE: Always tenacious and played some neat passes when those around him let him down
4 Gardner: Failed to have the desired impact in the middle of midfield that O’Neill – and fans – had been looking for
5 Johnson: Still to spark in a red and white shirt since his £10m switch from Manchester City;
5Sessegnon: Improved on his recent showings but still looked incapable of threatening the goal;
4 Fletcher: Unable to create anything for himself or those around him after a promising start to his Sunderland career

Subs
McClean (for Gardner 67): One cross created a half chance for Campbell to head wide. 5
Saha (for Sessegnon 67): Turned a Larsson free-kick narrowly over with a header. 5
Campbell (for Bardsley 81)
Not used: Rose, Kilgallon, Vaughan, Westwood (gk).

ASTON VILLA (4-2-3-1) Guzan 6; Lowton 7, Vlaar 7, Clark 8, Bennett 5 (Lichaj 11, 6 (Stevens 71) ); Bannan 6, Westwood 6; Weimann 6 (Holman 85), Ireland 7, AGBONLAHOR 8; Benteke 7. Subs (not used): Given (gk), Albrighton, Delph, Bowery.

MAN OF THE MATCH
LEE Cattermole – didn’t deserve to end up on the losing side with a display in which the skipper led by example.