SIMON GRAYSON made the Stadium of Light pitch smaller for the start of his managerial reign as Sunderland manager and immediately saw a bigger performance from many of the men wearing red and white.

Opening night might not have brought a home victory that Wearside has craved throughout 2017, but there were enough signs to at least raise hope under Grayson’s watch that he can take them in the right direction.

Given the circumstances of the last week - or even the last few years if you want to go back further – Sunderland could easily have found it hard to turn in a performance to encourage the 29,000 fans who turned up to watch the first match after relegation.

A 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Celtic and a verbal bust-up between midfielder Darron Gibson and a few fans in a County Durham hotel six days before the game was not the ideal way to prepare.

But Grayson roused his players to a display that could quite easily have ended in all three points, even if he had to settle for just the one to begin life as Sunderland boss.

Derby County did take the lead in the 11th minute when Bradley Johnson was on hand at the back post to convert, but Sunderland recovered to create plenty chances of their own.

The only disappointing thing was that they only scored one when Lewis Grabban converted a penalty three minutes before the end of the first half.

The challenge facing Grayson is to build on this and become the first Sunderland manager to win a league game in August since 2010; a trip to Norwich City next Sunday would be a fitting place to start.

There had been a sense all week that Sunderland needed the action to begin, even though Grayson is nowhere near having the squad at his disposal he would like.

Nevertheless he handed six competitive debuts out on a night when Wahbi Khazri was only named on the bench. Khazri was one of those whose commitment to the club Gibson appeared to question in a foul-mouthed outburst last weekend, although the Irish midfielder found himself on the bench too.

The Gibson saga had been dealt with, and it was important Sunderland started positively in a new division or a crowd of just under 30,000 could quickly have turned on them.

And they did. Aiden McGeady, playing on the left of a four-man midfield with George Honeyman on the right, sent in a couple of early teasing centres. There were also a couple of strong challenges to raise the 30,000-plus crowd’s spirits.

They could easily have been in front moments before Derby hit them with the early suckerpunch. Some clever football down the left was followed by another positive move down the right.

This time Honeyman was sent in behind the defence by Grabban, starting up front alongside James Vaughan. The locally produced winger, preferred ahead of Khazri, saw his chip over goalkeeper Scott Carson but roll away from goal.

McGeady still looked favourite to convert into the empty net but Andre Wisdom, signed from Liverpool, somehow charged back to cover and deflect away from the net. Within seconds, Derby were in front.

Tom Huddlestone, a Rams new boy after arriving from Hull, played a trademark crossfield pass into the corner where Johnny Russell was able to beat Brendan Galloway and slide a pass across goal. Johnson was there to force over the line.

Huddlestone almost forced a second nine minutes later when Jason Steele, preferred in goal despite the arrival of Robbin Ruiter, recovered to gather a loose ball after initially spilling the midfielder’s low drive from distance.

Apart from those two chances, though, Sunderland were the side who controlled the play and looked more confident. Frustratingly from a Wearside perspective, it looked as if they would be unable to level things up before the break.

The nearest Sunderland had come was through Lee Cattermole. He looked full of intent throughout and wanted the ball constantly in the middle. He looked like he had scored too, only for Carson to somehow turn over his half volley with a flying one-handed volley from 14 yards.

When Derby did break, Sunderland looked nervous at the back but the equaliser arrived with three minutes remaining of the half.

Honeyman clipped a cross to the back post and former Middlesbrough midfielder Jacob Butterfield got himself in a mess in his area. He ended up falling and handling and referee Oliver Langford pointed to the spot.

Grabban, afforded the penalty responsibilities after James Vaughan’s double miss during pre-season, made no mistake by drilling a low drive beyond Carson’s oustretched left hand.

Sunderland made a bright start to the second half too with Vaughan seeing an effort roll inches wide, although it was Derby who went even closer to regaining the lead moments later.

Cattermole, excellent throughout, was alert to head a Richard Keogh netbound header off the line and away for a corner. That did, though, provide Derby with a bit more encouragement to attack – and they did.

But only after Grabban had crashed an effort against the upright after a neat pass from Cattermole, although Vaughan was crying out for a pass as he stood unmarked to his strike partner’s right.

The best of the Derby chances fell to striker Chris Martin. He somehow completely missed the target from an unmarked position after a clever run from the lively Russell opened up the Sunderland defence.

After that there were half chances at both ends, with Sunderland pressing in the hope of grabbing a winner. It might not have been the victory that Grayson wanted, but small steps and all that…