HOWARD Wilkinson was furious with referee Dermot Gallagher last night after his blunder cost Sunderland the chance to give their new manager his first win.

With Sunderland leading 1-0, Gallagher gave a corner kick after Charlton Athletic goalkeeper Dean Kiely turned Kevin Kilbane's shot on to the crossbar.

The ball rebounded to Kevin Phillips, who might have scored or could easily have given one of his teammates the opportunity to double their side's advantage.

Gallagher's decision was greeted with amazement from everyone else inside The Valley and it gave Charlton extra impetus as they went on to equalise and secure a 1-1 draw.

Wilkinson said: "I've been in the game a long time. Twenty years ago, I might be going purple, but...

"I'm disappointed but the players are gutted. They're wondering if there's any justice in life."

Charlton manager Alan Curbishley, who claimed his side merited all three points, smiled: "Have a word with the ref about that incident!"

Wilkinson, who claimed on Friday that he had never accused his players of being out of shape, insisted last night that their lack of fitness had contributed to their failure to win.

They could not withstand heavy Charlton pressure in the second-half, and Wilkinson said: "We're not fit enough. As at Bolton, we ran out of legs.

"But if you're not good enough, that's a problem. If you're not fit enough, you can do something about it."

Reid, at The Valley for Sky Television, dismissed Wilkinson's criticism by citing a strong run by Kilbane in the final minute that almost led to a winning goal from Tore Andre Flo.

Wilkinson was delighted with the overall performance from Sunderland, who have now scored just six goals in 12 Premiership games.

He said: "That was an improvement again. Tore Andre Flo was heroic, even though it was his first game back and he was running in the sea at the end.

"We got a great start and caused them a few problems. We dealt well with what they threw at us and we hung in there at the end.

"The players have rekindled their pride and optimism. They're getting their disappointment out of their bones. They're starting to develop winning attitudes."

Reid added: "I thought Sunderland were very difficult to beat and that's a platform you can start from."

Charlton are just one point above the Black Cats, and Curbishley said: "I think we deserved to win.

"It's uncomfortable for any side that's in the bottom three or four, and the only way out of it is to put three or four wins together."

* Sunderland defender Stephen Wright picked up his fifth booking of the season yesterday and will miss the trip to Liverpool, when the Black Cats visit his former club on November 16.

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