Sunderland draw 0-0 with Doncaster Rovers

Sunderland Doncaster Rovers match report

Sunderland draw 0 – 0 with Doncaster Rovers

Since our 0-0 draw with Bolton on Boxing Day, we’ve played really well. SAFCBlog has been mindful to reiterate that we won’t play well every week, we didn’t win tonight, but the 0-0 was hugely different than the Bolton game.

Quick detour to York to pick up a couple of idiots – my job tonight is to drive the car, (a responsible role?), their job is to get some decent photos for the blog, (not a big job?). Whilst I managed driving duties, sadly the idiots in question talked shite and drank craft ales … and forgot to take any photos, (one fucking job?). In the unlikely event anyone fancies the role of SAFCBlog Photographer please contact me on safcblog1@gmail.com

 

224 miles covered tonight and 1 photo! At least it was a good one?

Sunderland Team news

No great surprise to see an unchanged line up. Bailey Wright is likely to feature soon, but to be fair the defence has done little wrong lately. The same applies to Lafferty, I expect him to feature – but Charlie has been good of late. Grigg isn’t even on the bench, surely it will suit both parties if he moves on ASAP? 

1st Half Sunderland Doncaster Rovers

A very similar 1st half to the game at MK on Saturday. We started well, but they were the better team the last 20 minutes. 

They’d obviously done their homework as they played the physical, pressing game that had reaped such rewards for us lately. 

4 weeks ago Doncaster looked poor, to be fair they looked decent in the 1st half tonight, number 31, (Ennis), was a constant threat, I’m assuming, (but can’t be bothered to check), that he didn’t play in the game at their gaff?

Half Time

The mass media seem to have acknowledged our new fitness levels are the key. 

No big deal – but in October when lost to Burton, SAFC Blog wrote a piece on our lack of fitness – at that time far more illustrious media outlets such as the Sunderland Echo, The Chronicle and BBC Newcastle were being borderline complicit in hanging Parkinson out to dry?

Sunderland Doncaster Rovers match report
Game on…….

 No big deal for SAFC Blog – it matters not to me if anyone reads, agrees, likes or shares etc – I’ll always stay classy. SAFCBlog has always been and remains 100% behind our management team. So what’s this got to do with half time? Well…. as with Saturday, we came out in the 2nd half with a refreshing increased intensity. Fuck knows what Steve Parkin says to them?

Steve Parkin – Eats raw meat?

2nd half Sunderland Doncaster Rovers

Loads better, we had the chances to win the game, but lacked a cutting edge. 

It’s lovely when Gooch fires in from 30 yards, but we can’t rely on that. We are desperate for another striker. 70-80 minutes and it felt like we’d definitely score, it wasn’t to be and credit to Doncaster. For a 0-0 it was a decent watch and as aforementioned a completely different 0-0 from Boxing Day.

 

SAFC Blog Verdict

Given we didn’t hit the heights of recent games, it would have been a great game to win. We’ve not made any ground, but we’ve not lost any. If we’d won tonight, I’d have been saying a draw on Wednesday would be OK – so I guess a win on Wednesday and we are level par?

The atmosphere tonight was as positive as I’ve heard at the SOL since the Portsmouth Play Off game.

Plenty of positives, 3 clean sheets in a row is definite progress. Parky did everything he could to force a win in the respect of positive substitutions.

We can 100% win this league – Gooch and Maguire have been our best players of late. Gooch had a poor game, (it happens), Maguire was poor, (it’s only his inconsistency that makes him a 3rd tier player?)

Special mention for the referee tonight – Third tier refs are understandably not the best – the ref tonight took it to a new level of utter incompetence.

 

A good shift – just not our night?

Sunderland AFC The Next 6 Days…….

We are obviously needing to offload Grigg and Ronald McGeady as they are both not going to feature and are on big money. Watmore is also on big money and offers little – but I don’t see a deal forthcoming. 

I’m happy for McNulty to go to Hibs…… that’s 4 attacking players who wouldn’t be missed. 

We all know Josh Maja would win us this league? It really is there for the taking – I know we are skint, but £250’000 to Burton for Boyce has to make sense? There’s never any guarantees – but we have 20 games left, a striker who could add 12 goals wins us this league all day long?

Substitute…….

https://youtu.be/eswQl-hcvU0

FTM

ALL ROADS LEAD TO TRANMERE……..KEEP THE FAITH⚽️



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RT @ShaunSAFCBLOG: HAMMERED TRANMERE LAST TIME – ANY WIN ON TUESDAY WILL BE GREAT….Sunderland Thrash tranmere rovers 5-0 https://t.co/luB……

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RT @ShaunSAFCBLOG: Sunderland draw 0-0 with doncaster rovers …

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