Buoyant Bruce has Cats ready for derby

THE last time Sunderland remained unbeaten for eight Premier League matches was in the early stages of the 1999- 2000 season. The game that started the sequence? An unforgettable Tyne-Wear derby win at St James’ Park.

Saturday’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa, secured courtesy of Richard Dunne’s first-half own goal, made it seven games without defeat since the Black Cats were beaten at the Hawthorns in August. The game that could make it eight? A Tyne-Wear derby at St James’ Park.

No wonder Sunderland boss Steve Bruce, a childhood Newcastle fan, is looking forward to Sunday’s game with undisguised relish.

“I’m genuinely pleased for the North-East to have a derby that means something, that’s terrific,” said Bruce, who has guided his side to seventh in the Premier League after nine matches for the second season in succession. “I’m trying to keep things as low key as possible, but I’m aware of what it means.

“I’ve never been to one of these games, so I’m looking forward to it already. It’s a derby so form will go out of the window, but we’re ready for it and we’ll go there in good spirits.

“We have to play the game, not the occasion. We can’t get too wrapped up in it all and forget there’s a game of football to play. We have to be brave enough to take the ball and play, but I have a good feeling about this mob I have at the club now.”

That feeling was no doubt bolstered by Saturday’s win, with Sunderland recording a third successive clean sheet as they withstood a secondhalf barrage to ensure their recent run of draws was halted by a much-needed win.

Defensively, the Black Cats were every bit as secure as they had been at Blackburn five days earlier, with Titus Bramble maintaining the fine run of form that has justifiably seen him mentioned as an outside candidate for England’s friendly with France next month.

Credit must also go to Lee Cattermole, who has lost none of his bite, but who has added an element of control to his game following his two earlyseason dismissals, and goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who will surely start the derby ahead of Craig Gordon.

Mignolet was beaten in the third minute by a Stewart Downing drive that rebounded off the base of the righthand upright, but recovered well to produce two fine second- half saves to deny Ashley Young and Marc Albrighton.

Sunderland’s only other scare, save for a comical incident when the hapless Emile Heskey missed the ball completely on the edge of the sixyard box, was a close-range header from Steve Sidwell that Jordan Henderson calmly cleared off the line.

“I’m pleased with a lot of what we’re seeing,” said Bruce. “We were too brittle last season, so we needed to improve that.

“We conceded too many goals, and we conceded them too easily. We’ve kept three clean sheets on the trot now, and had five (in all competitions).

That’s a terrific achievement no matter who you’ve played against, and it’s down to Titus, the goalkeeper, all of them.”

So, once again, organisation and resilience were the plus points of Sunderland’s game.

The problems, somewhat predictably, arose at the other end, and putting them right will be the difference between recording another mid-table finish and mounting a genuine push for Europe.

Last week, Bruce spoke about the need to identify alternative goalscorers to Darren Bent. Even though Dunne now holds the Premier League record for the most own goals with eight, it is doubtful he was referring to the Villa centre-half.

Dunne inexplicably hooked home Steed Malbranque’s right-wing cross at the near post. It ensured the victory would be Sunderland’s first without Bent scoring for more than a calendar year.

Tellingly, it also means Dunne has scored as many Premier League goals in the last two-and-a-half years for Sunderland as Malbranque.

The Wearsiders remain massively reliant on Bent, and for all that Bruce can point to recent results as justification for sticking with a five-man midfield and keeping record signing Asamoah Gyan on the bench, there will surely come a time when the club’s midfielders will have to improve their wretched goalscoring records or the Ghanaian will have to be promoted to the starting line-up.

Malbranque spurned a decent early chance against Villa, heading Henderson’s cross over the bar, but save for a first-time Danny Welbeck effort that was saved by Brad Friedel and an Ahmed Elmohamady shot that flashed past the post, the hosts’ only other real chance came when Phil Bardsley fired wide.

“We know we have to start converting our chances,” said Bruce. “It’s our Achilles heel.”

With a change of formation unlikely, Sunderland supporters will be desperately hoping it does not lead to their downfall this weekend.

Match facts

Goal:

1-0: Dunne (own goal, 25, hooked Malbranque’s right-wing cross into his own net at the front post)

Bookings: Bardsley (65, foul), Heskey (73, dissent), Warnock (88, foul)

Referee: Mark Halsey (Bolton) – Rightly waved away Aston Villa penalty appeals when Reo-Coker and Downing tumbled in the box 6

Attendance: 41,506

Entertainment: ✰✰✰

SUNDERLAND (4-5-1):

7 Mignolet: Made important second-half saves from Young and Albrighton to justify his place once again;

7 Onuoha: Has tightened things up on the right of Sunderland’s defence and did well against the dangerous Young

6 Turner: Wasn’t always comfortable against Heskey, but got himself out of trouble when required

8 Bramble: Followed up Monday’s superb display with another strong and disciplined showing

7 Bardsley: Looks increasingly comfortable on the left-hand side and almost scored with a decent late effort;

8 ELMOHAMADY: Sunderland’s best player when they were on top before the break, going close with two good efforts

6 Henderson: As industrious and effective as ever, and was in the right place to clear Sidwell’s header off the line

6 Malbranque: Delivered the cross that led to Dunne’s own goal, but was worryingly wasteful in front of goal yet again

7 Cattermole: Involved throughout and is finally displaying the maturity that was expected of him when he took over as captain

6 Welbeck: Forced a smart first-half save out of Friedel, but is still searching for his first Sunderland goal;

5 Bent: Endured one of his quieter days and was generally shackled by Dunne

Subs:

Gyan (for Welbeck, 65): Infuriated his manager by blazing wide in the closing stages rather than keeping the ball 5

Mensah (for Malbranque, 81)

Zenden (for Elmohamady, 90)

(not used): Gordon (gk), Da Silva, Ferdinand, Riveros

ASTON VILLA (4-5-1): Friedel 5; Beye 6, Dunne 5, Collins 6, Warnock 6; DOWNING 7, Ireland 4 (Albrighton 55, 5), Petrov 4 (Sidwell 40, 5), Reo-Coker 5, A Young 5; Heskey 6.

Subs (not used): Guzan (gk), Cuellar, Clark, Bannan, Carew.

MAN OF THE MATCH

AHMED Elmohamady – Gave England international Stephen Warnock a torrid time before the break and provides some welcome pace to Sunderland’s attacking.