OPPO: Wimbledon
VENUE: Stadium of Light
RESULT: Lads 2, Wombles 1
TEAM: . Poom, Wright, Bjorklund, Babb, McCartney, McAteer, Thirlwell, Whitley (Butler 57), Oster, Stewart (Proctor 81), Smith (Kyle 52)
SUBS NOT USED: : Ingham, Williams
BOOKED: Stewart, McAteer, Kyle.
BACK IN BLACK:Mark Warren
ATTENDANCE: 22,334
MCCARTHY’S COMMENTS
“I’ve been desperate for a scrappy, lousy, horrible three points and I’ve got them now,. We’ve played a lot better than that and lost. We’ve got three points so I’m not bothered my backside this evening.
“We had chance after chance in the first half. They had a couple of chances in the second half and with their pace up front they were going to catch us.
“I’m full of admiration for the players. They scrapped away and were rewarded and I’ll take the three points and look forward to Christmas
MCATEER’S COMMENTS
“Teams come here and they’ll get everyone behind ball and a quick, big man up front; we try and break them down. Sometimes it just doesn’t work – we don’t mean it that way, we don’t want it to be that way at all – we’re all giving it 100%. We started well in the 2nd half, we’d been unlucky in the 1st half. We pushed and pushed but it’s not been a classic.”
Michael Proctor came off the bench to save the day for Sunderland just when it looked like they were heading for their fifth successive home draw.
It was a lucky escape for the Black Cats who had done little to hand their fans some Christmas cheer – especially in the second half.
The Sunderland faithful had turned up expecting their side to easily beat Wimbledon, the First Division’s bottom club, but that was not the case.
Sunderland had a great opportunity to go ahead in the first minute, when Jason McAteer’s ball sent Stewart clean through. His cross fell to Oster who headed just wide.
McAteer, making his first home start for three months, had to settle for a place on the right-hand side of midfield but he was still a presence.
Sunderland failed to pick up the same tempo as the first half and McCarthy decided to introduce Kyle and Thomas Butler, bit it failed to hand them a spark.
This was a classic display by Wimbledon as they worked tirelessly to stop Sunderland.
McCarthy left in a rage after big striker Kevin Kyle was controversially sent off in injury-time.
That Sunderland were winning by then was nothing short of a miracle.
If there is a promotion bandwagon on Wearside, no-one has told the fans. Christmas shopping, perhaps understandably, proved more attractive.
Sunderland battered their visitors for the opening 25 minutes but proved absolutely woeful in front of goal.
Fear set in, creativity went out of the window and a Wimbledon side as poor as anything you will see started to pick up the self belief that they could take something back South.
It was Wimbledon who were filled with more purpose and ideas after the break.
SUNDERLAND: Poom 7 – Wright 6, Babb 6, Bjorklund 6, *McCARTNEY 8 – McAteer 6, Thirwell 7, Whitley 6 (Butler, 58mins, 6), Oster 7 – Smith 5 (Kyle, 53mins, 5), Stewart 6 (Proctor 82mins).
Michael Proctor’s last-gasp goal silenced the boos and snatched a first win in seven games.
Oster’s barnstorming start continued when his shot from the centre of the area was brilliantly parried by Banks.
Jason McAteer was soon in on the act as Sunderland took control, forcing Banks to save.
Stuart Murdoch admitted his side were fortunate to still be in the game at half time.
“I thought that was as bad a first half performance as we’ve had all season. We didn’t go in for tackles, we didn’t pass the ball, we got caught in possession.
Sunderland were made to look better than they were. They put the ball through their own net to giftwrap an equaliser the Dons barely deserved.
Wimbledon remained flat and failed to mount an attack worthy of the name until first half injury time.
