It sounds completely ridiculous, at this stage of the season, to say that this draw could be the final nail in the relegation coffin but, with the way most fans will be feeling tonight, presumably sick to their teeth, it’s hard to see past that. Before this game, it was widely viewed that if we lost, that would be it, but this somehow feels much, much worse. We’re by no means down and no-one knows what might still happen, but after this match, many views have altered from the possibility that the Lads might make a good fist of it this season, to the feeling of complete resignation that it is more than likely another relegation is on the cards.
Yet these feelings seem completely irrational when put into context. This is McCarthy’s first ever point in the Premiership. We should be content. Maybe we’ve just come to expect too much. However, what is more likely, is that our expectations are fair. It’s just that the team and the club, in the foreseeable future at least, will just never be able to live up to them. It’s a sorry state of affairs that must be rescued if we are to turn around our season any time soon.
The thing that makes the horrible disappointment of this match all the more worse, is that these are the games we should be winning, especially considering the way it began. After 5 minutes, Tommy Miller won a corner when his shot was deflected over. From this corner, Breen rose like the proverbial salmon to head home. It was a goal that sadly wasn’t capitalised on, however, as Sunderland, ironically, began to play worse than they had in previous games. The game lost its early pace as both sides failed to gain any sort of stronghold. The few chances that did arise in a fairly dull first half were poorly squandered.
The second half saw more of the same, as Sunderland failed to close the game out. The introduction of Lawrence and Le Tallec gave more balance to the side and allowed Sunderland to come out of their shell a bit. However, the best chances of the game, falling to Whitehead and Arca, were not converted and with this, West Brom then took the game by the scruff of the neck. With Davis, once again looking fairly nervous, the Baggies kept peppering balls into the box as the Lads kept struggling to deal with them. Davis was force to make a good save diving to his left, Davies missed what seemed like a simple free header from six yards and Hoyte headed off the goal-line. The crowd breathed a massive sigh of relief. However, from the resulting corner, Gera rose above the defence to head the ball into the roof of the net. It was a goal that was always on the cards but one that will crush the hopes of fans and players alike. The season’s prospects are now looking bleaker than ever.
Man of The Match: Alan Stubbs
Matthew Woolston
