Sunderland played out their second successive goalless draw at the SoL after their match against Blackpool on Tuesday evening.
Yet again Sunderland’s lack of a cutting edge and physical presence up front was painfully obvious as Tony Mowbray’s side had to settle for a point, which on the balance of play was probably a fair result.
Tony Mowbray made one change to the side that drew 0-0 with Preston at the weekend with Amad Diallo replacing Dan Neil. French youngster Edouard Michut was named on the bench for the lads whilst for the visitors former Sunderland midfielder Liam Bridcutt was named on the Blackpool bench.
The visitors got the game underway kicking towards the North Stand but immediately punted a long ball forward and out of play. Sunderland started brightly with a good move down the right which saw Gooch slightly overhit his cross though Sunderland kept it alive.
Pritchard then slipped Alese away down the left and he fired a left footed cross towards the front post which the keeper had to punch clear before Diallo was fouled. Pritchard went for goal from the set piece but Blackpool easily cleared his low shot.
After 13 minutes Sunderland went close to opening the scoring after a good passage of play from the lads. The ball was played into the feet of Elliot Embleton just inside the left-hand side of the box by Jack Clarke. Embleton swivelled and curled a shot towards the top right-hand corner of the goal and was unlucky to see it clip the bar.
At the other end the visitors went close with their first effort of the game through Callum Connolly. Blackpool had been awarded a free kick midway inside Sunderland’s half with Gooch penalised for a foul. It was launched into the box and Sunderland only cleared as far as Connolly who dragged a low shot wide of Anthony Patterson’s left-hand post.
After 25 minutes Sunderland were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position after Wright fouled Corry Evans. Even though it looked a long way from goal Alex Pritchard opted to shoot but his powerful drive was straight into the wall.
Five minutes later after another good spell from Sunderland, Jack Clarke was denied by a good stop from the keeper from Clarke’s well struck shot from the edge of the box.
Five minutes before half time Sunderland almost had an opportunity after Clarke played the ball into Alese in the box but despite a fantastic turn by the defender he was stopped by a crunching tackle. A couple of minutes later Diallo should have opened the scoring when he got space in the box, but he took too many touches and failed to get a shot away.
On the stroke of half time Pritchard won a free kick on the edge of the box after he was felled as he was about to shoot. Pritchard took the set piece and fired a shot what was always rising over the wall and over the bar into the Roker End. There was two minutes added time and Sunderland went close at the end of these when Jack Clarke waltzed into the box, but his shot was over meaning it was goalless at the break.
Neither side made a change at the break before the lads restarted the game kicking towards the North Stand. Five minutes into the second half Sunderland broke when Diallo set Jack Clarke surging forward with just one defender between him and the goalkeeper, but Clarke was dispossessed on the edge of the box.
Blackpool should have opened the scoring a couple of minutes later from a corner from the right. It was swung into the box before Patterson did well to deny Connolly’s header with a good one handed save, before the follow up from Ekpiteta was deflected wide for another corner. However, when this one was taken the ref gave Sunderland a free kick for a foul on Patterson.
Patterson was on hand again a minute or so later to deny Blackpool from a corner from the opposite side. The ball was played into Wright at the front post who glanced a header goalwards which Patterson did well to push away.
Tony Mowbray made his first change of the evening with just over half an hour remaining with Jewison Bennette replacing Amad Diallo.
It was the visitors who went close to scoring following the change with Anthony Patterson almost caught out with a miss hit cross and having to concede a corner. Sunderland looked vulnerable from corners and the visitors won several of them in quick succession though the lads managed to escape unscathed.
With 25 minutes remaining Patrick Roberts burst into life down the right and rode a couple of challenges before the ball fell to Embleton who smashed the ball past the keeper. However, the ref had already blew for the foul on Roberts even though Sunderland should have been allowed the advantage. Embo took the free kick but blazed it over the bar.
Tony Mowbray then made a double change with Dan Neil and Abdoullah Bah replacing Corry Evans and Elliot Embleton. A few minutes later Mowbray made two more changes with Edouard Michut making his Sunderland debut in place of Alex Pritchard whilst Leon Dajaku replaced Patrick Roberts.
Michut and Dajaku immediately got involved and won a corner down the left after Dajaku’s cross was deflected behind. Jack Clarke swung a cross into Danny Baath at the back post, but the keeper gathered his header relatively comfortably.
At the other end with ten minutes remaining Blackpool went close again through Connolly. Sunderland had needlessly conceded a throw in down the left after dawdling in possession. The visitors hurled a long throw into the box which fell for Connolly who nodded just wide.
Jack Clarke then did well to win a free kick on the edge of Blackpool’s box after being hacked down, but after getting up to take it blazed the ball into the wall. The visitors then broke forcing Michut into a cynical foul to stifle the attack for which he picked up a yellow card.
There was four minutes added time and as the game looked to be fizzling out Jewison Bennette produced a bit of skill on the left to leave his man on the floor before crossing into the box for Clarke. Clarke got a decent header on target but was denied by a good save from the keeper.
Neither side could muster any better after this and both had to settle for a point.
Final Score – Sunderland 0 Blackpool 0
ALS Man of the Match – Jack Clarke
