Villain-to-hero Kyle ends miserable run

And remarkably, the much-maligned Kevin Kyle was the hero with a stoppage-time strike - just five minutes after his own goal had looked certain to have condemned Sunderland to extra-time at Field Mill.

From Wearside to West Ham, and many points in-between, McCarthy had trudged away from grounds a loser ten times out of ten before yesterday.

But after a fraught evening, culminating in the most dramatic of conclusions, he finally had a victory to smile about rather than a post-mortem to conduct.

So what if the win was only against Mansfield Town - defeated in their only Third Division game of the season thus far?

So what if Sunderland relied on an own goal plus a last-gasp effort to secure their passage through to the second round of the Carling Cup - a tournament that Newcastle United will not even enter until the last week in October?

And so what if Newcastle were taking a massive stride towards the lucrative Champions League group stage in Belgrade at the same time as McCarthy's men were being pushed to the limit by their lowly hosts?

A win is a win, and after the year that Sunderland have had every sliver of hope should be cherished.

The game was heading for an extra 30 minutes after Kyle had put through his own net when the striker scored only his second goal (at the right end) for the club.

In the 88th minute, Kyle was the villain when he inadvertently stabbed the ball past Mart Poom after a long throw had caused confusion in the Sunderland rearguard.

But after Matt Piper had got to the byline and delivered a low cross, Kyle drilled home a low shot from 12 yards to spark jubilant scenes among Sunderland players, management and supporters alike.

That goal came in the third minute of second-half stoppage time and the Black Cats clung on to secure their place in Saturday's draw for the next round.

McCarthy said: "Kevin Kyle had a very cool head on his shoulders at the end. When the ball flashed across, it could have ended up going over the bar, but it was a quality finish.

"I'm delighted for him because he works hard at his game. He wants to be a top striker and that goal will give him a whole lot of confidence."

Earlier, Dave Artell's own goal had been only the third strike under McCarthy, but after all the ill-fortune that has bedevilled his reign he was overdue some good luck.

He was also indebted to a fine display from Poom, who repelled almost everything Mansfield could throw at their more illustrious opponents.

But just when Mansfield sensed Sunderland were there for the taking, the visitors rallied to produce the most devastating of sucker punches.

Sunderland got another glimpse at life without Claudio Reyna, who was believed to be in discussions with Fulham yesterday over a possible £2.5m move to London.

That deal could go through before Saturday's Premiership kick-off, but if Reyna did leave it would give McCarthy more clout in the transfer market. The only downside to the evening was a hamstring injury to £6.75m misfit Tore Andre Flo and the sight of Darren Williams being stretchered off with a damaged ankle.

Sunderland went in front in the 18th minute when Sean Thornton's inswinging corner was headed into his own net by Artell.

Poom, who had earlier palmed away Wayne Corden's superb 30-yard free-kick, then denied Luke Dimech and Iyseden Christie as Mansfield pressed for an equaliser.

As well as his shot-stopping, Poom claimed a succession of high balls that were pumped into the Sunderland penalty area.

The Black Cats could have made the game safe in the second half, with Stewart striking a post and Thornton going close.

But after the amazing denouement, Sunderland had a win to savour on the journey back to the North-East last night.

McCarthy added: "They put us under a lot of pressure at the end but we dealt with all but one of the high balls into our box. It's a step forward and we hope this result will make a difference."

Result: Mansfield Town 1, Sunderland 2.

Read more about Sunderland here.