KEVIN BALL has only been carrying out caretaker duties for four games but in one post-match comment the stand-in boss summed up an entire season at Goodison Park.

Referring to the moment when, in injury-time and the scoreline level, Rory Delap struck the sweetest of sweet right foot strikes against the post. "You look up to the sky and just say 'any chance mate?'" reflected Ball, a statement that could well have been uttered on many occasions by Mick McCarthy in the months preceding his sacking.

The matter of inches that came between Sunderland and all three points for only the third time this season could also have sealed their relegation fate on April Fools Day. Instead West Brom conspired to lose to Liverpool to ensure that was not the case.

A stay of execution that arrived as a result is of no consolation, though. Sunderland, for all their hard work and camaraderie in the dressing room, are heading to the Championship and there is nothing Ball, Delap, chairman Bob Murray or even a takeover from a Niall Quinn consortium can do to stop it.

Nevertheless the debt and defeatism that has enveloped the club for the best part of four years, albeit it with the high of promotion sandwiched in between, has clearly not rubbed off on the current crop of players.

The squad constructed by McCarthy may never have possessed the talent to preserve their place in the Premiership for longer than one year, but there remains a genuine determination to give 100 per cent when they take to the field.

Against Everton, a side who harbour hopes of still qualifying for Europe via their league placing, Sunderland more than matched their opponents and can count themselves unlucky not to have claimed more than the point they did - Ball's first since taking over the helm.

A similar outcome in each of the remaining games and Sunderland will equal the 17-point record low total for a relegated top-flight team, since the introduction of three points for a win, set by Stoke City 21 years ago.

Surpassing that points total, not to mention the Premiership low of 19 achieved by Sunderland in 2003, is something the club are desperate to do before they restart life back in the Football League. Whether it can be done remains doubted.

But Ball, still one of those names in the frame to fill the manager's job full-time, would love that to be the case, if not for himself then for the club's fanatical support.

"I was aware of what went on at West Brom on Saturday night (when Liverpool won)," said Ball. "But I had a lot of things to do and had to just look on things as whatever happens, happens.

"I'm glad our supporters enjoyed Saturday's performance and result. They spend a lot of money coming to support us and it can be as frustrating for them as it is for us. It's even more pleasing because it has come at a place where they have been doing well this season. We would love the points to continue coming until the end of the season."

The next point, or points, Ball and his squad will be looking to claim will be when Fulham pay a visit to the Stadium of Light this weekend, where Sunderland have failed to win in the Premiership since December 2002.

But while the prospect of a win is certainly not a certainty, one thing likely to happen is a third successive demonstration held by disgruntled supporters venting their anger about the way the club is run.

The man most of the frustration is directed towards is chairman Murray and he was in attendance at Goodison on Saturday to hear the large following from Wearside chanting the name of Niall Quinn.

Noone really knows what the future holds for the club but, on the basis of the football on show against Everton, there are at least a few reasons to be optimistic about next season in the Championship.

Delap, McCarthy's last signing before he was axed, is one. Playing on the left of midfield he was at the centre of most decent things from Sunderland's point of view.

Ball agreed. "Rory has played in different positions since he has come to the club. We spoke about him being a threat at the far post and he showed that," said the acting boss, recalling the moment ten minutes from time when Delap nudged ahead of Tony Hibbert to head a deep Dean Whitehead cross beyond Richard Wright.

"Rory was bright, he passed the ball and got forward. He did everything I asked of him. It was a shame because I do think his performance, if he had scored when he hit the post in the final seconds, deserved that icing on the cake."

Delap was also the man who was first to try his luck with less than two minutes gone. His dipping volley from 20 yards dropped just wide after Justin Hoyte's cross was flicked into the former Southampton man's path by Whitehead.

But, despite Sunderland's bright start, Everton gained the upper hand three minutes later in a move which typified the visitors' calamitous campaign.

Leon Osman started the move by charging in to the box after feeding Phil Neville down the left. Neville's cross was volleyed, albeit fortuitously, towards goal by James Beattie and both Simon Davies and Osman got a touch as the ball trickled beyond Kelvin Davis.

On the quarter hour Jon Stead, with two goals in his previous two games at Goodison for Blackburn, was denied his first goal for Sunderland when Wright palmed his low drive from distance behind for a corner.

But, not to be outdone, Stead pounced at the back post to drill the resultant flag-kick from Grant Leadbitter into the Everton net.

Relief for Stead, relief for Ball and relief for the thousands from Wearside inside the ground.

Instead of building on that, however, Everton regained the lead 11 minutes later when James McFadden took advantage of Gary Breen's hesitancy to fire beyond Davis from close range.

Just after the restart Davis could also do little about McFadden's bullet header from Tim Cahill's centre, but the crossbar came to Sunderland's aid and the advantage remained a slender one.

And with ten minutes remaining Delap powered his way into the box to head beyond Wright and secure Sunderland's 11th point of a dreadful campaign.

Like so often this year, Sunderland's play deserved more but, in the end, mistakes and a lack of creativity cost them a rare win.

Nevertheless a point is a point and after the past eight months there will be few at the Stadium of Light ungrateful for small mercies.

Ball said: "They say what you get out of life is what you put into it and we got the minimum of what our players deserved on Saturday."

A similar case has been pleaded on many other occasions this season.