Sunderland fail to see off ten-man Norwich City (From The Northern Echo)

Sunderland fail to see off ten-man Norwich City

3:50pm Sunday 17th March 2013 in Sport

Sunderland 1 Norwich City 1

SUBSTITUTE keeper Lee Camp ensured 10-man Norwich left Sunderland with a point on a day when the Canaries' luck deserted them.

Chris Hughton's men were leading 1-0 at the Stadium of Light through Wes Hoolahan's close-range header when keeper Mark Bunn was dismissed for handling outside his area, and their fortunes took a further turn for the worse five minutes before the break when defender Sebastien Bassong conceded a penalty.

Craig Gardner levelled from the spot and then forced a vital 59th-minute save from Camp as the Black Cats strove in vain for the goal they needed to secure a first win in seven Barclays Premier League games.

However, Norwich left Wearside believing they should have been awarded a 70th-minute penalty for handball against Danny Rose in an eventful encounter.

It was a game Sunderland simply had to win after slipping to 16th place in the table as a result of their barren run, although they kicked off holding a six-point cushion over the sides in the bottom three.

Norwich arrived on Wearside three points better off, but with only one win in their last 12 league games and needing a positive result to kick-start their season once again.