Sunderland’s worrying slump in form continued on Tuesday evening as they were beaten 1-0 by playoff rivals Blackpool at the SOL. Sullay Kaikai’s spectacular second half strike was enough to separate the sides with the result seeing Lee Johnson’s side slip to fourth in the table.
Johnson made one change to the side that twice squandered the lead on Saturday against Accrington Stanley with Grant Leadbitter replacing Carl Winchester. Former Sunderland midfielder Ethan Robson lined up for the visitors who beat the lads only 10 days ago at Bloomfield Road.
For the second game running Sunderland switched ends before kick off with the lads getting the game underway kicking towards the North Stand. Sunderland started the game on the offensive having plenty of play around the visitors’ penalty area but were just lacking a quality ball into the box. We won an early free kick in a dangerous position after Denver Hume was fouled but Lynden Gooch couldn’t convert McGeady’s cross at the front post. At the other end Blackpool forced a corner but Sunderland defended it easily.
As frantic and entertaining as the opening stages of Accrington game was on Saturday this was the opposite with both sides unable to break each other down. As well as this the referee didn’t help blowing for fouls and on one occasion stopping a Sunderland counterattack for a foul on Aiden O’Brien rather than playing an advantage.
With openings at a premium Grant Leadbitter almost created a chance for Aiden O’Brien after 25 minutes with a clever ball over the top of the defence. O’Brien seeing the keeper coming off his line tried to lob him with a first-time volley but was unable to generate any power on the stretch and the keeper gathered. After half an hour Sunderland managed an attempt on goal when Charlie Wyke got onto Hume’s dangerous cross from the left but Wyke’s header was off target.
Five minutes before the break Blackpool had their first shot on target after Bailey Wright failed to clear a long ball forward. The ball sat kindly for Jerry Yates, but his half volley was straight at Lee Burge and the keeper held. On the stroke of half time Sunderland almost fashioned a chance when Lynden Gooch crossed from the right but Wyke was unable to get a touch at the front post.
Mercifully there was only one-minute added time at the end of a first half which ended goalless and was utter dross. Neither side made any changes at the break and the visitors restarted the game kicking towards the Roker End. The lads had an early chance after a corner from the right went all the way to Max Power on the edge of the box. Power curled a shot towards the far corner, but the keeper made a good save.
Sunderland had changed formation and looked more threatening with Aiden McGeady creating space for himself in the box before seeing a shot deflected over. From the resulting corner the lads went close again with Charlie Wyke rising highest to Grant Leadbitter’s corner, but the keeper made a good save parrying the ball away.
With Sunderland playing more open they did leave space at the back and the lads were fortunate that the ref penalised the visitors for a foul on last man Denver Hume when they were breaking clean through on goal.
However, Blackpool soon took the lead thanks to a fantastic strike from Sullay Kaikai. A corner from the right-hand side was cleared by Sunderland but only as far as Kaikai on the edge of the box who blasted a shot past Lee Burge into the top right-hand corner. The goal prompted Lee Johnson into his first change of the game with Ross Stewart replacing Aiden O’Brien. Five minutes later Johnson made two more changes with Jordan Jones and Carl Winchester replacing Grant Leadbitter and Josh Scowen.
With 20 minutes remaining we won a free kick 30 yards from goal after James Husband caught Charlie Wyke with a high foot. Sunderland almost from the set piece after McGeady clipped the ball towards Ross Stewart at the back post. Stewart headed the ball back across goal to Charlie Wyke in the six-yard box who saw the keeper make a great block before a defender cleared.
With Sunderland chasing the game Blackpool started exploiting the space left at the back in the final ten minutes of the game. Jerry Yates went close dragging a powerful shot wide of the post from the edge of the box. At the other end Sunderland had a shout for a penalty waved away when Charlie Wyke collapsed under a challenge trying to get onto the end of a cross from Lynde Gooch, but the ref was having none of it.
Sunderland had a chance to equalise at the death when Ross Stewart headed Lynden Gooch’s cross into the path of Aiden McGeady in the six-yard box. It was a difficult angle for McGeady and his shot towards the far post blocked by Jordan Thorniley for a corner which was cleared.
There was five minutes added time and in the first of these Sunderland looked to have equalised through Charlie Wyke, but the keeper denied him with a fantastic save. Wyke had been found in the box with a cross from the left but his header was clawed away by Maxwell. In the final minute of injury time Max Power’s low cross from the left deflected agonisingly wide of the post for a corner. Lee Burge went up for it, but it was cleared by Blackpool who held on for the points despite a late onslaught of Sunderland getting some decent balls into the box.
Final Score: Sunderland 0 Blackpool 1 ALS Man of the Match: Lynden Gooch
