A cool finish from the returning Frazier Campbell spared the blushes at the Stadium of Light as a resilient Middlesbrough held the premier league side to a 1-1 draw.
Barry Robson produced the only real moment of magic in the first half after 16 minutes with a crisp volley after a poor headed clearance from John O’Shea but the game lacked any real quality despite having the all the heat of a typical Tees-Wear derby. The game’s moment of controversy came when the Black Cats were pushing for an equaliser towards the end of the first half when Craig Gardener’s goal was ruled off for offside against Connor Wickham. However, the young striker clearly did not touch the ball but Boro will point to the fact that Gardener blatantly handled the ball just before he tucked it away into the bottom corner.
Before the game it was the hosts who were the clear favourites to go through against a Middlesbrough who have been lacking in confidence quality who came to Sunderland with a deleted squad through injuries and suspensions. But Mowbray’s men clearly weren’t going to roll over and within 16 minutes they had taken the lead through Robson and as Sunderland surged forward they struggled to find a cutting edge despite the best efforts of an impressive James McClean who was a constant threat on the wing.
After the half-time break, Campbell provided the much needed clinical touch when Sunderland broke forward calmly passing the ball past Coyne in the Boro goal. It was the dream return for the young striker who had been out for 18 months. When the final whistle blew, it was Martin O’Neil who felt slightly more relieved as Sunderland know they can play far better and Tony Mowbray will know his side have struggled at the Riverside.