Sunderland again unable to make the most of being in a winning position

After last week drawing 1-1 at Charlton Athletic having been 1-0 up, Jack Ross pointed out: “From winning positions we have not lost but we have drawn four when we have taken the lead.”

Make that five.

Because it was the same story on Saturday, Chris Maguire scoring first before Luton levelled and despite the Hatters having a man sent off with 20 minutes to play Sunderland were unable to make them suffer.

The action-packed contest included two red cards – one for each team - ended 1-1, leaving the promotion-chasers in second and third place.

Sunderland have now drawn ten times, more than any other team in League One, after dropping two more points that could prove decisive come the season’s end at which point their promotion attempt could resemble one of the two participants in Saturday’s amusing half-time entertainment.

Two supporters raced each other around the pitch, both tiring as they reached the finale, their legs almost giving way, the pacesetter looking likely to clinch victory by tapping a ball into an unguarded net, only to trigger laughter around the Stadium of Light as he stumbled and face-planted the turf, allowing his rival to steal glory at the death.

Perhaps that pacesetter will prove to be Portsmouth, with Sunderland sneaking up behind? It’s too early to say, there’s too much football to be played, but the leaders lost at the weekend, allowing the Black Cats and Luton to make a little ground.

Ross said: “Naturally there is an element of frustration around that, some of those draws we may have lost, some we feel we should have won.

“A number have been from winning positions. I spoke during the week about our record from losing positions is brilliant, our record from winning positions could be better.

“That is something we need to improve upon. If we do, then we will be in a good place.”

Sunderland are already in a good place, five points off the top with a game in hand, but Ross knows it could better.

He said: “We are in good position at the moment. Not a brilliant position, a good position.

“The top six or seven teams can win the league. We’ve seen that last week at Charlton and we’ve seen that again today with Luton.

“We are a good side, but we’re a good League One side. We’re not a Premier League side playing in League One.

“I have to keep reminding the players of that and keep an element of positivity around

“It can be easy here to be enveloped by expectation around us, it’s my job to make sure they keep understanding the positive side, but we also have to be better so that when we go ahead in games we go on to win them.”

There was not a great deal between Sunderland and Luton and a draw a fair result, one that the Hatters were happier with, particularly bearing in mind the upheaval they endured last week.

Losing manager Nathan Jones to Stoke City was a blow they put behind them, and they started very much on top with Cats ’keeper Jon McLaughlin making two excellent saves in the first 45 minutes from Andrew Shinnie and James Collins.

Between them, however, Maguire scored for the seventh time this season to put Sunderland ahead when he slotted into the bottom corner from 16 yards after Lynden Gooch’s shot was blocked by Alan McCormack.

“The first ten, 15 minutes they made it very difficult for us,” admitted left-back Reece James.

“They started well, really bright. They put us under pressure but once we settled in we created some good chances and I thought we could have been more than one up. But then Jon in goal has made some good saves. I don’t think it was too bad a point but we have to turn some of these draws into wins, especially when we go a goal up.”

Much of the post-match frustration was focused on referee Lee Probert for decisions he made, mainly in the second half, and the manager of each team was less than complimentary.

But replays suggest Probert was correct in awarding the penalty on 67 minutes that allowed Luton to level, Collins blasting home after Tom Flanagan had impeded Danny Hylton.

Soon, however, Hylton saw red after an apparent elbow on Jack Baldwin, an incident of the sort Mick Harford, the Hatters' caretaker boss, was familiar with in his playing days as a combative striker.

“Danny said it wasn’t intentional,” said the Sunderland-born boss. “I’ve been in his position as a centre-forward when you’re backing in and you tend to put your arms up.

“I don’t know whether he’d flung his elbow or the centre-half has made the most of it as they do at times.”

At home to ten men with the bulk of a 37,791 crowd behind them, Sunderland should have stepped it up, but they were unable to drive their numerical advantage.

The closest they came was when Aiden McGeady hit the bar from outside the box, with the recalled Charlie Wyke heading the loose ball over.

Wyke was recalled as Josh Maja was ill, explained Ross, and without him the Black Cats lacked the firepower to overcome a team that also drew 101 with back in August.

The boss sent on substitutes Benjamin Mbunga-Kimpioka and Bryan Oviedo, and while there were no further goals there was another red card, Maguire seeing red for a stamp on Alan McCormack in added time, leading to the referee being booed from the field of play.

Ross felt Maguire did not deserve a dismissal, but it would be a surprise if he wins any forthcoming appeal.

“I don’t think either of them were red cards is my first thought,” said Ross.

“I don’t want this to deflect from any deficiencies in our performance, but there were some poor decisions made, that is reality, that is not just my opinion.

“Having watched it back and having heard from the fourth official why he was sent off, the two things don’t marry together, so it will be interesting to see what their reasoning for the red card if we appeal it.

“I’ve had loads of bad games as a player and bad games as a manager. It happens. But he had a poor game today.

“I’m allowed to stay that, that’s my opinion and I think it would marry with a lot of other opinions.

“I’m not just talking about the bad decisions, I’m talking about in general.”