Sunderland crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of Walsall after an incredibly lacklustre display at the Stadium of Light. Jack Ross had this to say afterwards: "Fatigue is no excuse. Walsall played Saturday and have had a similar fixture list. Our conditioning levels are good enough as a squad and there was a freshness about our team. I've absolutely no excuses for tonight other than we didn't play well. First and foremost, that should always fall on me, first as a manager because it's my preparation and my selection. No excuses. It was disappointing to come out the competition but disappointing in terms of the performance level as well. It was a night where we didn't play particularly well, especially in the first half. At least in the second half, post the substitutions, we had a greater intensity even if we still didn't play particularly well. It was one of those nights, I don't want to say you want to quickly forget because you always want to take something from a game, but it wasn't a memorable one for us. It was a night when we didn't look very threatening. We huffed and puffed but lacked that spark. I've been fairly fortunate this season that each and every time players have taken their opportunities. This is probably the healthiest our squad has been this season, and I think players have that awareness that they need to play well to get in the team and remain there. Tonight, individually, a lot didn't reach the levels they are capable of. That gives you more to ponder in terms of selection moving forward."
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