Saturday was abysmal. While disappointing to lose our unbeaten home record, this was a result that has been coming for weeks after narrow escapes against Watford and Plymouth.
Ironically it all had started so well. Looking to put the bitter disappointment of Leeds behind them, the team had started brightly knocking the ball around with speed and seemingly able cut through a poor Hull side at will.
The momentum then shifted ominously when Jobe Bellingham in a great position in the box instead of shooting dwelt on the ball and was caught in possession. Suddenly we looked horribly exposed at the back when Hull broke in a four on two but squandered their opportunity.
What followed was a calamity made in Sunderland. First Luke O’Nien gave away a needless corner after attempting an overly ambitious header back to Anthony Patterson. If that was bad, what followed was truly awful. A seemingly innocuous corner appeared to be going straight into the hands of Patterson when he inexplicably spilled it into the net. It was a shocking error and following his flap at Leeds which cost us the game brings a serious question mark over his place in the team.
The team came out for the second half with Romaine Mundle a welcome replacement for an anonymous Enzo Le Fee. Apart from the spark brought by his fresh legs, little changed. This looked like a team that had played one match too many. Out of legs and out of ideas.
There were lacklustre performances wherever you looked. Chris Rigg was substituted again and he has been poor for weeks. Rigg looked more like a 65-year-old than a 17-year-old as he laboured to keep up with the pace of the game. Dan Neil was truly awful, being caught in possession and losing the ball time and time again as he was too slow to react. Patrick Roberts cutting inside with depressing regularity and no end product. Chances came and went with Wilson Isidor somehow failing to score from two yards with a free header, summing up his season of fantastic goals and missed tap-ins.
Regis Le Bris has built a reputation of sticking with his favoured eleven but this is a team in desperate need of a shake up. As we head into the play-offs, fresh legs are desperately needed. Otherwise play-off heartbreak looks inevitable.
