MICK McCarthy has repeatedly stressed that his entire squad will need to shine if Sunderland are to make it into the Premiership and the manager was grateful to two of his supposed lesser lights after they combined to earn a priceless point against in-form Stoke.

The Black Cats had looked all at sea as they trailed a Stoke side who had lost just one of their last 14 League games following Sebastian Svard's well-taken opener.

But McCarthy's decision to introduce substitutes Matt Piper and Darren Byfield shortly after half-time paid impressive dividends as the former crossed for the latter to head the crucial equaliser.

Piper, making only his second substitute appearance since late August following a serious knee injury, could yet play a pivotal role in the closing stages of the season.

And, with Marcus Stewart out of action with an abdominal problem, Byfield also pressed his claims for further involvement in the final two months of the campaign with his second goal for the Black Cats.

The point is not enough to take Sunderland into the play-offs, but it was no more than they deserved following a disjointed performance full of unforced errors.

With Jason McAteer still sidelined because of a groin problem, McCarthy opted to stick with the side that scrapped to a priceless 2-0 win over West Ham last weekend.

Sunderland won that game with a two-goal burst in the last half hour and they started in similarly dominant fashion last night.

Three chances came and went inside the opening ten minutes as Stoke struggled to curtail the home side's attacking momentum.

Former Chelsea goalkeeper Ed De Goey tipped over superbly after Tommy Smith had made the most of a clever advantage following a foul on Kevin Kyle and, from the resultant corner, Stoke midfielder Darel Russell somehow got himself in the way of Gary Breen's stabbed half-volley.

De Goey was back in action less than 60 seconds later, turning Sean Thornton's crisp low drive round the post after strong running down the right from Kyle.

The Scotsman looked like fashioning a goal throughout the opening stages but, when he finally played a decisive role in the opener after 13 minutes, it wasn't exactly what he had in mind.

The Sunderland striker had an age to direct his header on the edge of the centre-circle, but he succeeded only in finding the unmarked Russell.

He fed Svard cutting in from the right and the Danish Under-21 international, on loan from Arsenal for six months, held off George McCartney before slanting a pinpoint drive beyond Mart Poom.

The goal had a stultifying effect on the Black Cats and, for the rest of the first half, they struggled to find any kind of rhythm against their well-drilled opponents.

They didn't really help themselves - far too many midfield passes went astray under little or no pressure - and both Kyle and Smith were well marshalled by veteran centre-half Gerry Taggart.

Thornton saw his 20-yard snapshot well saved on half-time, but Sunderland could have been two down by that stage after Adi Akinbiyi shot wastefully wide when clean through after showing his strength to brush off the attentions of Breen.

Half-time failed to cure the home side's general malaise and, four minutes after the interval Poom made a fine low save from Russell's stinging 25-yard strike after Phil Babb's dreadful pass had put his defence in all kinds of trouble.

McCarthy sent on Byfield and Piper for the ineffectual Smith and the inefficient Jeff Whitley and, while the double substitution didn't have an instant effect, its merits became patently obvious in the 68th minute.

Piper had barely been involved at all before he broke down the left flank, and his whipped cross was met perfectly by Byfield with a pinpoint header.

The Jamaican international has yet to start a game for the Black Cats and because of his ineligibility for the FA Cup.

But his ability was clear to see as he clinically dispatched the first chance to come his way and his value to Sunderland's promotion charge could be considerable.

The leveller provided renewed impetus and Paul Thirlwell went close two minutes later with a rasping drive.

Phil Babb fired wide from Oster's corner with five minutes left, but Akinbiyi could have grabbed a last-minute winner for the visitors had he shown more composure