FORGET Shearer and Sutton, there is another SAS strike-force terrorising defences nowadays – and this time they are playing for Sunderland.

For the second time in the space of four days, Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms were both on the scoresheet as the Black Cats claimed a 2-1 win against opponents from the North-West.

On Boxing Day, it was Simms coming off the bench to score after Stewart had opened the scoring – last night, at Wigan’s DW Stadium, it was Stewart coming on as a second-half substitute to add to Simms’ first-half strike and ensure Sunderland were able to claim all three points, with Patrick Roberts and Amad Diallo adding further goals in the final five minutes.

At some stage, Tony Mowbray will almost certainly pair the two centre-forwards together, but for now, a policy of one on and one off is working perfectly well. With four goals from their last two matches, Stewart and Simms have fired their side into the play-off places.

Mowbray has been desperate to get his twin strikers fit for most of the first half of the season, and the Black Cats boss has also been waiting for a chance to unleash Abdoullah Ba and Edouard Michut. With Corry Evans unable to play three games in a week and Alex Pritchard suffering ongoing injury issues, last night’s game provided the ideal opportunity to start two of the youngsters that joined in the final week of the summer transfer window.

It was Ba’s second start in a Sunderland shirt and Michut’s first appearance in the starting line-up since moving to Wearside on loan from Paris St Germain, and the French duo immediately looked at home at Championship level. Ba, playing in an advanced attacking-midfield position, was a constant threat on the break, while Michut purred whenever he was in possession of the ball sitting deep alongside Dan Neil. The two 19-year-olds have had to bide their time since the summer, but on this evidence, they could both play influential roles in the second half of the campaign.

The Sunderland boss opted to err on the side of caution and leave Stewart on the substitutes’ bench after he played for the full 90 minutes on Boxing Day, with Simms, whose stoppage-time goal had secured all three points three days earlier, stepping into the starting line-up. Within the opening 20 minutes, Simms had more than justified his presence in the side.

Sunderland almost claimed the lead a minute before Simms opened the scoring, with Wigan goalkeeper Jamie Jones producing a superb double save to keep out Amad Diallo’s initial effort and then also stop Ba’s rebound when the French teenager looked certain to score.

However, there was nothing Jones could do when the home defence went to sleep moments later. Wigan’s failure to deal with a corner enabled Clarke to swing over a cross from the left, and after Hume hooked the ball back across the face of goal, an unmarked Simms was left with the simple task of nodding home from close range. It was the Everton loanee’s seventh goal of the season, and the ideal way to follow up his Boxing Day strike.

With Ba and Amad breaking forward to support Simms whenever possible, Sunderland posed a considerable threat on the counter-attack all night. James McClean just about managed to prevent Amad from getting a shot away midway through the first half after Ba carried the ball half the length of the field, before both sides struck the woodwork within the space of a minute as the action continued at a frenetic pace.

McClean fired a first-time volley against the outside of the post after Anthony Patterson punched a cross towards the edge of the area, then at the other end, Amad smashed a shot against the crossbar after Simms rolled a square ball into his path.

Another goal looked inevitable, and it duly arrived as Wigan equalised three minutes before the break. Patterson should perhaps have done better with Thelo Aasgaard’s long-range shot as his parry fell invitingly for Will Keane, who was able to slot home the rebound from inside the area.

The concession of the goal did little to knock Sunderland’s confidence, however, and the Black Cats picked up where they had left off at the start of the second half, breaking in numbers and linking neatly in midfield and attack.

Simms and Amad both wasted decent opportunities by failing to bring the ball under adequate control, before Ba curled a 20-yard effort over the crossbar after leading another charge upfield.

Mowbray had the option of turning to his bench as his side searched for a second goal, and he opted for a triple change in the 62nd minute with Stewart, Pritchard and Patrick Roberts all coming on. Four minutes later, and two of the replacements were playing central roles as Sunderland reclaimed the lead.

Roberts’ mazy dribble into the area was halted by Tom Naylor’s mistimed challenge from behind, and just as he had on Boxing Day, Stewart stepped up to convert from the penalty spot, this time via the inside of the post.

The striker celebrated in front of almost 4,500 jubilant supporters crammed into the away end, but Sunderland’s joy at reclaiming the lead was tempered by Pritchard suffering what appeared to be an injury recurrence during the celebrations. Just six minutes after coming onto the field, the midfielder was forced to hobble straight back off.

Roberts added a third goal in the 85th minute, firing home from inside the area via a deflection after a flicked one-two with Neil, and Amad claimed a superb fourth as the DW Stadium emptied with one minute left.

The Manchester United loanee played a one-two as he drifted infield from the right touchline, before curling a superb finish into the left-hand corner.