JACK ROSS warned against an immediate improvement when he was appointed as Sunderland manager, and at this stage of his rebuilding job, a cup upset will have to wait. Unbeaten in League One, the Black Cats were soundly beaten as they came up against Championship opposition.

Alim Ozturk’s first-half error enabled Marco Matias to break the deadlock for a Sheffield Wednesday side that are likely to share Sunderland’s antipathy towards the Carabao Cup, and the Wearsiders’ fate was sealed when Adam Reach headed home from close range in the 79th minute.

A youthful Sunderland side did plenty of huffing and puffing, but while their effort and commitment could not be questioned, the presence of six new faces from the side that drew at Luton at the weekend underlined the lack of genuine depth in Ross’ squad.

The Sunderland boss has overseen a radical overhaul since taking over from Chris Coleman, but in the attacking third in particular, his transformation remains a work in progress. At least one more addition is surely required before the loan window closes at the end of the month.

As well as changing personnel, Ross has also tried to introduce an energetic, high-pressing style to Sunderland’s play, and for the most part, it was at least possible to discern the effectiveness of the Scotsman’s efforts on that score.

With George Honeyman and Elliot Embleton scurrying around in the central third, and Luke O’Nien tearing up and down the touchline from his position on the right, Sunderland forced Sheffield Wednesday’s defenders into a series of errors as the visitors attempted to play out from the back.

The Owls might have failed to win either of their opening two Championship matches, but they were still able to call on the likes of Reach, Barry Bannan and George Boyd in their line-up, not to mention Steven Fletcher, whose £12m price tag and subsequent release as a free agent is an exemplar of the kind of largesse that caused Sunderland so much damage.

So the sight of the visitors struggling to get out of their half for much of the first 45 minutes underlined the extent to which Ross’ promptings have had a positive effect.

Working hard is one thing though, converting an abundance of effort into a goal threat is quite another. Perhaps predictably given Chris Maguire’s presence as a lone striker despite it not being his natural position, Sunderland struggled to carve out chances all evening.

Josh Maja will return to the side for Sunday’s league game with Scunthorpe, but Ross’ need for another striker on loan was abundantly obvious as a succession of moves broke down before they reached the Sheffield Wednesday area.

Embleton dragged a 19th-minute shot wide of the target after O’Nien played him into the inside-right channel – the teenager should have done better, but cannot be expected to score UEFA Goal of the Season contenders every time he goes on to the pitch – but it was three minutes before half-time before Sunderland created their only real chance.

Embleton pulled the ball back to O’Nien, but the midfielder was thwarted by an excellent sliding tackle from Joost van Aken. The defender’s efforts meant Wednesday reached the interval with their clean sheet intact, and were therefore in the lead.

Sunderland’s defence was barely tested before the break, but thanks to a situation entirely of their own making, their backline was still breached.

Ozturk was the culprit from a Black Cats point of view, and while the Turk’s Sunderland career is still at a formative stage, he is already developing a worrying reputation for shooting himself in the foot.

His first Sunderland appearance at Darlington was one to forget, and having erred repeatedly on the opening day against Charlton, he was at fault again as Matias fired the visitors ahead.

Fletcher flicked on Joe Wildsmith’s long clearance, but Ozturk still had an age in which to deal with the loose ball. He dallied, seemingly unsure whether to hook clear or pass the ball back, and Matias had the presence of mind to nip ahead of him to prod past Jon McLaughlin.

Ozturk erred again at the start of the second half, giving the ball away before attempting to rugby tackle his opponent to the ground, and was at fault once more in the 55th minute as his poor defensive header enabled Matias to fire in a shot that Jack Baldwin did well to nod clear from close to the goalline.

With Baldwin and Glen Loovens settled on Wearside, and Tom Flanagan set to return from injury shortly, Ozturk could quickly find himself on the fringe of things if his performances do not markedly improve.

Perhaps sensing a vulnerability at the heart of the Sunderland defence, Wednesday were much more of a threat in the second half, and McLaughlin had to be extremely alert to keep out Reach’s shot shortly before the hour mark after the former Middlesbrough winger burst clear of the back four.

The Sunderland goalkeeper was called into action again shortly after, claiming Fletcher’s header, and while Ross brought on Maja for the final quarter, the hosts rarely looked like fashioning an equaliser.

Instead, it was Wednesday who struck again, with Reach glancing home Barry Bannan’s right-wing cross.