Sunderland

Mid-season report: Sunderland

By Liam Power, Reporter | 28 December 2012

Sports Mole takes a look at Sunderland's inconsistent start to the season, with Steven Fletcher's goals keeping the Black Cats just outside the bottom three.

Sunderland made a pair of late summer signings to appease fans dismayed at Martin O'Neill's lack of transfer activity.

Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson arrived with contrasting results. The Scottish striker scored consistently, but the Mackems won just one league game in the first three months of the campaign.

A December revival saw the Black Cats climb towards mid-table safety, with work to do on Wearside to ensure survival.

Here, Sports Mole looks back at a topsy-turvy opening half of the season for Sunderland.

August

A thin Sunderland squad began the campaign with a battling point against Arsenal, holding the Gunners to a goalless draw at the Emirates.

A postponed clash at home to Reading meant a quiet August ended with a League Cup win over Morecambe thanks to brace from James McClean.

September

Sunderland could not stop drawing in September, stretching their Premier League start to four successive stalemates.

Fletcher opened his account for the club with a double in a 2-2 draw at Swansea City before the Scot scored at home in a share of the spoils with Liverpool.

The in-form striker was it again a week later to earn O'Neill's men a point at West Ham United. Sunderland then survived an early Lee Cattermole red card to edge the MK Dons in the League Cup, in a match which featured a rasping free kick from Craig Gardner.

A new hero was confirmed on Wearside before the month was out as Fletcher netted against Wigan Athletic to give the Mackems their first league win of the season.

October

Any hope of building on the Wigan win was dashed quickly by reigning champions Manchester City, who ran out 3-0 winners to end an unusual unbeaten start.

Newcastle came calling soon after for the season's first North-East derby, which saw the Mackems salvage a late point thanks to an own goal from Demba Ba in a fractious encounter.

A battling goalless draw at Stoke City was followed up by a disappointing home defeat to local rivals Middlesbrough in the League Cup.

November

Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor condemned the Black Cats to a home defeat to set the tone for a difficult run in November.

A bright start at Everton a week later saw Adam Johnson open his account in the North-East, but the Toffees recovered to claim all three points late on.

They were back on the road at Fulham the following Sunday and took full advantage of Brede Hangeland's early dismissal to turn the tide with an important win. Stephane Sessegnon crowned a 3-1 victory with a stinging drive from range.

In-form West Bromwich Albion edged a topsy turvy battle 4-2 as Sunderland's poor home form showed no signs of letting up.

Struggling Queens Park Rangers battled to a goalless draw at the Stadium of Light three days later in Harry Redknapp's first game in charge of the Hoops.

December

A poor start to December saw Sunderland lose a hard-fought match at Norwich City before Rafael Benitez earned his first win as Chelsea boss with a 3-1 success on Wearside.

The barren home run came to an end three days later, with Fletcher back among the goals in a 3-0 rout over Reading.

Fraizer Campbell's first goal of the campaign was a silver lining in a 3-1 defeat at Manchester United before Sunderland bounced back to claim successive league wins for the first time this season.

Fletcher did the damage yet again as the Black Cats beat Southampton on the road in a basement battle. O'Neill's men followed up that success with their most eye-catching win of the season against Manchester City, as Johnson notched against his former club.

Eighteen matches blighted by inconsistency leave Sunderland in 13th place at the halfway mark, within striking range of both the drop zone and a top-half challenge.