As a good old-fashioned traditional 6 pointer this game was either going to be a mistake-filled high scoring thriller, or a mistake filled low scoring scrap. It was the latter. However, despite how badly we play you can never write off Sunderland until the final whistle. In exactly the same fashion as 10 months earlier a last minute goal won the game and left Derby shattered.
Keane picked what was arguably his strongest and best side, certainly for the outfield 10. However the big surprise was dropping Gordon and giving Ward his first league game of the season. I was amazed he’d done this, particularly now, but its clear Keane isn’t afraid of making big decisions and dropping big money signings just because of a price tag. However, I’m not sure how much Gordon has been to blame for the goals conceded. Maybe Newcastles, maybe Fulhams, but it was still a bit harsh.
The game was scrappy, no real quality and had the championship written all over it. When either side did string 2 or 3 passes together both defences were wide open and chances did come, however the finishing matched the rest of the play. Derby’s best chance came from a mistake from Higginbotham who missed a clearance from a long ball down field. Miller found himself through but a fine save from Ward tipped it wide. They also had a header cleared off the line after Ward dropped a corner. It was the kind of scenario where keepers usually get a foul given on them but in this case I think Ward just made an error.
Sunderland had better chances, but still faired no better. Higginbotham headed over early on, Cole missed a good chance when he was unmarked at the back post but slipped as he was about to shoot and Jones fired a Cole knock down wide from the edge of the box, albeit on his left foot. It was Jones who had the best chance of the half though when from inside the 6 yard box he hit the post when it seemed easier to score.
Individual performances were as much part of the problem as the team as a whole. Whitehead looked rusty and the game passed him by a bit. Leadbitter scraps well in midfield but he’s not going to open defences up and the 2 centre backs looked like 2 players who conceded 7 goals a week earlier. Both have made bad individual errors this season that has cost goals and they just about held it together today. The flanks were better though, Collins is a decent defender and Halford put in his best performance in a Sunderland shirt by someway, both defensively and going forward.
Derby came out of the traps quicker in the 2nd half and for the first few minutes we were pinned in our own half. Much of it, like the game, was huff and puff though. Chopra replaced Cole, Stokes on for Edwards. The attacks came a little more desperate as time wore on. Derby were happy with a point now, but still a threat on the counter, simply because of our shaky defence. Lots of crosses came, lots of speculative shots from the edge of the box with a cluster of players in the way and when a goal-bound Whitehead shot smacked straight into Chopra it was destined not to happen.
Deep into injury time, one more attack. At this stage no-one’s thinking ‘we often get a late goal, I fancy us here’. You resign yourself to another half chance that gets squandered. Halford, as he had done most of the game, brought the ball forward and passed to Miller. He floated a diagonal cross in; Jones got up for a great header and forced Bywater into a great save. A scramble ensued on the goal line, the ball was bouncing around then it somehow broke to Stokes who from about 6 inches out, hooked a shot backwards into the net. Delirium again, February all over again, Derby all over again. There was no time back and the 3 points was ours. Very much needed too.
I probably should feel for Derby a little, but I don’t. I feel sorry for myself too often with Sunderland to feel sorry for other teams’ supporters. The fact is we needed that goal badly. If it had finished a draw, it would have been very difficult to see where we were going. And while this win doesn’t disguise what was a relatively poor performance, it erases some of the memory of the Everton game and kick starts the season again. We can’t keep relying on last minute goals though (although we keep saying it and they keep scoring them). Take the injury time goals away from the Spurs, Boro, Birmingham and todays game and god knows where we’d be. Home form is decent though and as long as we keep picking points up here we should be okay. Maybe.
Report by marcopaul