Third Tier Life Suiting The Black Cats

Sunderland’s march towards the top of the League One table suffered a blow on Saturday as the Black Cats could only manage a draw with an Oxford United team who remain in the relegation zone despite picking up a point at the Stadium of Light.

The early sending off of Max Power clearly had an impact on the game but, even with ten men, Jack Ross’ team might have expected to claim the win against a side that had suffered four defeats from six prior to their encounter at the Stadium of Light.

Key Indicator

Sunderland remain clear favourites to win the League One title at the end of 2018/19 but is that position based on reputation rather than actual performance on the pitch? A possible answer to that question came in the EFL Cup when the Black Cats were drawn at home to Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.

The Owls had been challenging for the play-off places in recent seasons but have started the new campaign in subdued fashion and currently sit in mid-table with ten points from six games. At odds of 66/1 in bet365’s championship betting markets, Wednesday are given little hope of landing the title so the 2-0 defeat that they inflicted on Sunderland was a blow.

While Ross made some changes to the line up, he would have looked at that game as a measure of how far his team had come, so, while the EFL Cup carries no priority, the outcome was a disappointment.

Experience

Despite their alarming slide from Premier League club to League One outfit in just two seasons, Sunderland have been fortunate enough to retain players who will be key to their promotion push in this campaign.

The loss of Jordan Pickford in the summer of 2017 was to be expected but there is a core of top-flight experience in this squad and that situation is epitomised by midfielder Lee Cattermole. The 30-year-old has been with the club since signing from Wigan in 2009 and is a long-term fixture in the centre of the park.

Winger Aiden McGeady was an exciting addition to the squad and while he never became a regular starter at Everton, the Republic of Ireland international should thrive at a lower level as his new side start to drive up the league ladder once again.

Add in players of the quality of Bryan Oviedo, the on-loan Max Power, skipper George Honeyman and fit again Charlie Wyke it would seem that Sunderland should be equipped to make a decent fist of their season in League One.

Solid Start

A big home win over Oxford United would have taken Jack Ross and his Sunderland side to the top of League One but it’s still been a positive start to life in the third tier. With 14 points and no defeats from six league games, the Black Cats are in fourth place but the target would be to get into those automatic promotion places and avoid the relative lottery of the playoffs.

It’s therefore been a solid start but not a spectacular one and that disappointing draw at home to Oxford should serve as a wake-up call to anyone who believes Sunderland are guaranteed to make an immediate step back up into the Championship.

words Jack Hanlan, Sunderland fan