They say that a week is a long time in football, and after the week Sunderland have had, I'd have to agree with that saying!
After battling against some poor officiating to get a draw away at Bournemouth, we followed that up with a brilliant win away at Leeds on Tuesday. But, we came crashing back down to earth with a bang after losing away at Port Vale in the FA Cup on Sunday – a timely reminder of how harsh and unforgiving cup football can be.
There have been plenty of excuses made – the state of the pitch and the fact Sunderland are missing a ton of players through injury and suspension being the main two – but for me, that doesn't and shouldn't matter. Regardless of all of that, Sunderland had more than enough quality out on the pitch at Vale Park to be able to overcome a team who are rooted to the bottom of League One.
The attitude and application from our players was poor, and Port Vale won simply because they wanted it more than we did. And, to me, that's unforgivable.
The carrot dangling in front of us was a potential trip to Wembley if we could get through this game and then the quarter-finals, but that didn't seem to phase us. Instead, we seemed unprepared for what we were up against and showed none of the fight or battle that was on display in our previous two games on the road in the Premier League.
I get that we're stretched at the minute, but it wasn't good enough. Make no mistake though, Port Vale were good value for their win and fully deserve to be going through to the next round.
For Sunderland's players and coaching team, we have to see a response against Brighton at the weekend. We’re back at the Stadium of Light for a 3pm kick off, and it’s been a while since we could say that, but the fans will be expecting to see all the traits that we’ve become familiar with over recent years with this team – heart, grit, determination; a doggedness that gives us the edge over good teams because we simply want it more than they do. It wasn’t there on Sunday, disappointingly, but we know they’ve got it in them, and a victory over Brighton would get us back on track ahead of the derby against The Visitors on the following weekend.
Typical Sunderland – just as you think things are going perfectly, you're given a reminder that you can't always get your own way in this game!
Find more from Gavin Henderson at Roker Report
