The Lads missed out on a chance to wrap the league championship up last night as they were held at Eppleton CW’s Hetton home to a goalless draw against Alan Stubb’s Everton in the FA Premier Reserve League.

The Lads still have three games to play and two draws would guarantee the title although Manchester United or Newcastle failing to take full points in their subsequent games would clinch it without the lads needing to kick another ball. Last night’s point meant that Manchester City could no longer catch the Lads whilst Newcastle would now have to win both their matches and hope we lose all of ours to pip us on goal difference, so it falls to Mr Marcheda and his Manchester United team-mates to try to stop us winning the title. Bring it on.

The Lads lined up with Kay, M’Voto, Hartley and Blair Adams from right to left at the back, whilst Meyler sat deep in front of them. Chandler, Weir, Captain Jack and Cookie played across the middle of the park whilst Waggy lead the line.

With just two minutes on the clock, Waggy went on a good direct run at the centre of the Everton formation and slipped a lovely ball through for Jordan Cook but Cookie inexplicably slotted it wide when it looked harder to miss the target. He did claim for a corner but I think it may have been one of those claims out of embarrassment for failing to make the keeper work than in real belief. It was pretty much the sign of things to come where good moves were carved out for the forward players but their finishing just wasn’t quite there.

Everton’s first foray into our box, in fact anywhere near our end at all came on 8 minutes but the generally underused Colgan made a comfortable save.

Waggy created the next effort on goal for himself when he curled one from 14 yards but Nash smothered it at the second time of asking after an initial Nash hash. The lads then had a purple patch of nice triangular stuff for the first home match in ages with Colback, Cook, Waghorn and Chandler all prominent but again without making the decisive break through.

Waggy who enjoyed his best home reserve match for a long time then tried to bend one inside the post but it lacked pace to beat the experienced Nash.

M’Voto’s first start at home for the reserves for a long time saw him utterly dominate anything played up to the Everton forwards in fact his dominance was so great that had his distribution been better towards the end of the first half he’d have walked the man of the match but his defending against amongst others James Vaughan with plenty of Premiership experience was high quality.

It may have been a coincidence but such was M’Voto’s dominance that our midfield seemed less reticent to push on to support the front man than usual and the best move of the first half came when Waggy held up the ball well allowing Chandler to charge forward with purpose and dink a lovely ball over for Cookie to run onto. His first time chest down into his path was superb and his shot probably deserved more than the side netting given the fluidity of the entire move.

The only comedy moment of the first half came when the Lino stopped the game when the ball went dead to ask the ref for a cap. Apparently he reckoned the world famous vista that is the Hetton sunset kept getting in his eyes (well it’s a sight to behold) but in fact we know that it was just because he kept getting slated for being bald and looking like the lead singer from Bad Manners. Despite the almost summer-like start to the evening and the vista that is the Hetton sunset, by full time most of us were perishingly cold.

Everton’s tricky winger John Paul Kissock should have done better mid way through the first period after Agard had left Hartley behind a little too easily but he hit the ball way over the bar.

Waggy had the next effort and perhaps he’d been watching Adebayor on Tuesday night as he went for a ‘Hughies Hollywood’ effort but volleyed wide. A minute later and the Lads nearly paid for their misses as James Vaughan turned and shot in one movement, it’s a Scouse thing, after a clever ball from Agard. Thankfully he failed to convert but perhaps would have had he realised just how much time and space he actually had deep inside our area.

Waggy who was the best player first half battled manfully ten minutes before the break against two Toffee defenders but just as he got the break of the ball Nash came out and smothered well.

The final effort of the half came from Moses Barnett who looked from our angle to have almost put it into his own net but recovered just in time to nick it away from one of our on rushing attackers.

H/T 0 v 0

The first quality move of the second half wasn’t so much an effort on goal but notable for the through ball which was the pass of the match as Jordan Cook bent a lovely ball with the outside of his right boot way down the left touchline and well weighted into the path of Waggy but unfortunately the Lads didn’t end the move as well as they had started it.

Waggy again had an opportunity ten minutes in when he did well to out battle the bigger centre half but when he tried to lift the ball with spin over the advancing Nash he sent it harmlessly wide.

Waggy was again set up minutes later and with his second touch tried to lift it over the keeper who looked trapped in no mans land but we were left to wonder why if he knew the keeper had put himself in a poor position did he not have the confidence to try to lift it over him first time.

Mid way through the second period, Meyler and Chandler were replaced by Madden and Ryan Noble. Madden, usually a centre back, sat in a deep midfield role whilst Ryan showed his dangerous burst of pace up front with Waggy.

On 65 minutes the lads produced one of the best passing spells of the half but when the ball rolled across the edge of the box to Adams he probably found himself surprised to have such a good shooting chance and tried too hard resulting in the ball lifting well over the bar and in fact had it not been for the oft abused Lei Landi trees in next door’s garden, the ball would have ended up somewhere around Haswell.

Nash pulled off possibly his best save of the match when he collected a Waggy header low down on his post after excellent work by Ryan Noble who’s cameo role was impressive. Young Ryan he must have buckled down well over the winter under Bally tutelage.

Ryan had the last good chance of the match when he burst into the box late on, having initially looked distinctly second favourite to get to the ball, and forced a good block but from the resultant corner the lads failed to find the net which would have sealed the Championship in front of a home crowd.

A mention for Blair Adams who has had very limited reserve team experience so far and apart from one mistake early on in the second half looked extremely comfortable all match got down the wing well although notably seemed to prefer cutting in and crossing with his right when at times getting to the bye line looked perhaps the better option. But he had a very good game for someone so young.

Unfortunately the three remaining league games this season are away from home which is a shame as we won’t win it in front of our superb home supporters but such is our points advantage it would take a self-destruct on the scale of The Scumbags circa 96 to lose it. I’d just love it if we won the league, won the reserve league cup (Derby County a week on Wednesday) and survived the Premiership whilst sending Mary Poppin’s Looney Toons down to the fizzy pop. I’d just love it.

Full Time: Sunderland Reserves 0 – 0 Everton Reserves

Sunderland: Colgan, Kay, Adams, Meyler (Madden), M’Voto, Hartley, Chandler Ryan Noble), Weir, Waghorn, Colback, Cook

Subs unused: Carson, Brown, Liam Noble

Man of the Match: Had Waggy finished off his chances or M’Voto distributed as well as he defended then either could have claimed it so Mr Consistency Captain Jack edges it for being the man who pulls it all together.

Attendance: 744, I’m told although it looked somewhat more. Is that some kind of tax dodge?

Dov