A Lancashire stalemate, but plenty to be positive about for Sunderland
Today at 01:00 AM
Sunderland somehow didn't bring three points back from Burnley, but a dominant performance against a stubborn side led to plenty of positives.
Sunderland came away from Burnley with a 0-0 draw and a sense of knowing we probably should've won.
It's not very often that sides miss two penalties in one game, and it's even rarer that the same player misses both. Wilson Isidor was visibly heartbroken at full-time, but he'll come back stronger, and dwelling on this will not do any of us any good.
I want to look at the positives — call me 'glass half-full' or a 'happy clapper' — but there were plenty of these at Turf Moor.
Burnley are the only other team in the league other than ourselves to be unbeaten at home. They were relieved that their goalkeeper was on top form, and the jubilation of Burnley and our despair showed exactly how the game went.
Taking a step back, a 0-0 draw at Burnley is a result most of us would've taken before kick-off. We kept them at arm's length, but fair play to them, as it's clear to see why they've only shipped nine goals with a stubborn defence like that.
Post-match, captain Dan Neil came out to talk to the press and he had supportive words for Isidor. He also mentioned a good phrase, along the lines of 'if you can't win, don't lose.'
This is a good attitude to have, and with only four defeats from twenty games and only two in the last nineteen shows, this mindset is working. Yes, there are games we should've won, but there are also games where Sunderland teams of the past would have lost.
We've taken points off all of the teams above us and several around us, and this mentality of not losing has sometimes been contrasted with the frustration of conceding late goals, so there's work to be done on this but it's moving in the right direction.
The tough mentality has seen us through games and exists more than last year.
We know how not to lose games.
We've won twelve and this could and should be higher. We've also picked up seven points against the sides above us, and with only a trip to Leeds remaining, this could be important for us. Middlesbrough away will also be a tough test, as will Blackburn when they visit the Stadium of Light.
We've shown this season that we aren't easily beaten.
Four defeats have been by a single-goal margin and we weren't outplayed in any of them. Nineteen games and fifty-seven points left to play for equates to a long way to go, and we can crash the top two party because, at the end of the day, we've not exactly looked out of place.
'Can't win, don't lose' is a good attribute for any team to have, but for one banging on the door of the automatic promotion spots, it's a necessity.
Taking points off other teams in the top four has been something we've been pretty good at, and six points from the next two against Derby and Plymouth will set us up well for the trip to Middlesbrough.
