After lowering myself to a trip to St James Park to watch Newcastle Utd. a couple of weeks ago (albeit all as a freebie!), thought I should redeem myself by going to a Sunderland match! As luck would have it, Ali from school had cheap tickets going as part of a promo, so I nabbed a pair for my Dad + I.
With Sunderland currently setting all records for lowest points scored, most goals conceeded, most number of matches without a win, etc. in the Premiership, playing Tottenham who were 4th placed going into the game didn’t leave much room for optimisim. But, with Middlesborough managing to beat runaway leaders Chelsea 3-0 yesterday after Boro’ had put in some terrible performances, there was a little bit of hope!
In the end, Sunderland played well, as they have done all season, keeping Tottenham at bay, and pushing forward without giving Spurs any chance to regroup. But, a lack of vision has hampered them all season. All the hardwork gets done in winning the ball, but then they give it away with a sloppy pass, or Sunderland drive forward, then run out of imagination in the final third of the pitch.
A late goal in the 88th minute from Daryl Murphy earned a 1-1 draw, and a fair result. At least that puts Sunderland in double figures, and half way to their 20 point target to beat the previous record of lowest points scored in a season…