Sunderland kicked off their pre season mini tour of Ireland with a resounding 6-0 victory over Eircom First Division Athlone Town at the Lissywollen Ground.

The lads lined up with captain Dean Whitehead and youngster Michael Liddle filling the full back roles, Chimbonda and Higgi in the middle in front of Darren Ward, and thank god a 4-4-2 formation with Chops and Stokesy up front.

Despite a scheduled 7.30 start, we were hanging around until almost 7.50 until the match got underway but once it did, we were only kept waiting another 75 seconds before the lads struck. Steed Malbranque who showed sublime quality all the way through the match turned on a sixpence and played a beautiful reverse ball to Keyring who stroked home confidently from twelve yards. Great start. The home side’s only attempt on target in the first half came after eight minutes when a tame header was easily held by Darren Ward.

On 11 minutes, Stokes was unceremoniously dumped to the ground just outside the box and then saw the home keeper palm his accurate free kick up into the air but it dropped to Michael Chopra who converted from a tight angle. The keeper made amends mid way through the first period when he saved another Keyring effort after good play by Stokes.

Just after the half hour mark, Carlos went on his first attacking run since, well about May 2007 and Stokesey’s header was blocked by the keeper and eventually cleared.

H/T Athlone Town 0 – 2 Sunderland

The second half saw Liam Miller replaced by Grant Leadbitter and was soon followed by Fulop and Murphy, the latter playing up front pushing Stokesy to right flank and the roadrunner, who is looking worryingly more like a roadwalker recently, to right back releasing Deano to play in centre midfield.

On 57 minutes a good run by Stokes put Chopra clear but he was just knocked off his stride by a challenge, as he was about to pull the trigger.

Just after the hour mark, Carlos cut inside and passed to Chopra who shot from the edge of the box and saw his effort well parried by the goalkeeper. Two minutes later though Chops got his reward, when Whitehead slipped him the ball and he arrowed the ball just inside the post out of reach of the keeper. He’s one of us you know. 3 – 0.

On 71 minutes, Stokesy then saw an effort come back of the cross bar before the biggest cheer of the night when El Radgey Diouf came on for Steeeeed. It took Radgey all of two minutes to set up Grant on the edge of the box to arrow in number four.

With ten minutes to go, Michael Liddle went on a run and after a great return ball from Dioufy, he saw his right-footed effort curl outwards, hit the bar and back into play. The youngster, however, didn’t stand around feeling hard done by but tracked back the ensuing counter attack and dispossessed their attacker deep in our half, a fact that I’m sure won’t have gone unnoticed by the demanding Sir Rosyton.

Chopra was then denied his hat-trick, netting just moments after the referee had blown for some infringement unspotted by any of us at the far end and then our Brazilian left/centre back came on for Chimbonda who had looked effortless throughout at centre back.

Seconds later, Dioufy collected a ball from Whitehead and hit the third exocet of the evening straight into the back of the net, not bad for someone who I keep getting told doesn’t score many goals and to which I always reply well he was playing for Bolton you know.

The final goal of the game came with almost the last kick when Daryl Murphy intercepted a poor back pass and simply poked the ball under the advancing goalkeeper 6 - 0. It was a good performance albeit against lowly opposition but credit to Athlone who despite the score-line, worked hard and looked organised and disciplined if outclassed on the night.

It was one of the best preseason performances I’ve ever seen but despite this and the general optimism felt by the vast majority of Sunderland supporters currently, the match was played in a strangely subdued atmosphere given the number of red and whites in attendance.

It was a much more positive finish to the day which had started with nervous talk about why Bardsley was missing from the squad that travelled but ended with a six goal victory, a clean sheet, utter quality from Steeed and Keyring a fantastic cameo from Radgey Diouf and all this without the likes of Gordon, Reid, Jones, Bardsley etc. Can’t be bad.

Full Time: Athlone Town 0 – 6 Sunderland

Sunderland: Ward (Fulop), Whitehead, Chimbonda (Collins), Higginbotham, Liddle, Edwards, Richardson (Murphy), Miller (Leadbitter), Chopra, Stokes, Malbranque (Diouf)

Subs unused: Tainio

Man of the Match: For sheer quality Malbranque but plaudits to Michael Liddle, looked like he’d been playing at left back in that team for years and should have got the goal he deserved.

Dov

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