IT might not have felt like it as Sunderland were scrambling around to tie up Will Grigg’s paperwork at midnight on Thursday night, but signing players is actually the easy part of the January transfer window.

Moulding a batch of new arrivals into a cohesive team at the midway point of the season is a much trickier task, so while there was understandable satisfaction at the sight of five new players heading to Wearside last month, Saturday’s laboured win over AFC Wimbledon, statistically the worst side in League One, provided a stark reminder that it is still far too early to take promotion as a given.

Sunderland looked like a work in progress as Aiden McGeady’s second-half strike saw off some spirited opposition from a Wimbledon side that have now suffered ten away defeats this season, but that should not be a surprise. That is exactly what they are, and for all that Jack Ross might preside over a squad that would be the envy of just about every other manager in the third tier, boasting a multitude of options can bring its own problems.

Jack Baldwin or Jimmy Dunne at centre-half? Grant Leadbitter or Lee Cattermole at the heart of midfield? Lewis Morgan down the right-hand side or Lynden Gooch? Does Grigg go straight into the starting line-up or do Sunderland still need the physical focal point provided by Charlie Wyke?

There have been times in the first half of the season, particularly in the attacking positions, when Sunderland’s side effectively picked itself. With the injury list having cleared up dramatically, that is no longer the case. Managers will insist an abundance of selection issues is a ‘good problem to have’, but with league leaders Luton Town nine points clear, Ross does not have much wriggle room in which to experiment, even if his side do have games in hand.

“There’ll be tough decisions every single week now, but that’s the way it should be,” said the Sunderland boss. “It means there’s no hiding place.

“The players have trained well all season, but when you’ve not got really strong numbers, there’s not a lot you can do with it. Now, we’ve got that real strength in depth and competition for places.

“There were a few different choices to make and will continue to be for the rest of the season, but it just means the players have to train well to give themselves a chance to be in the squad, and if they play well, they will stay in the team.”

Grigg’s injured ankle meant he was absent at the weekend – the £4m man should be available to make his debut at Oxford United on Saturday – but there were full debuts for Lewis Morgan and Grant Leadbitter, and a substitute appearance for Kazaiah Sterling, even though Ross conceded the Tottenham loanee had probably not even learned his new team-mates’ names.

Morgan was a late promotion to the starting line-up after Gooch was forced to drop out of the side because his partner was about to give birth, and the 22-year-old grew into the game on the right-hand side. He boasts pace, trickery and a desire to run directly at his opponent, and while his decision-making occasionally left a little to be desired, there were definite signs of promise in his debut.

Understandably, given his extensive experience, Leadbitter looked much like the finished article, and as he strode around the Stadium of Light centre-circle, barking out instructions to his fellow midfielders within two or three minutes of the kick-off, the boyhood Black Cat must have felt like he had never been away.

Prior to Saturday, his last Sunderland appearance had come in a 4-1 League Cup win at Norwich City in September 2009. Craig Gordon, Anton Ferdinand and Jordan Henderson were in the Black Cats squad that day, so it is safe to say that plenty has changed in the intervening decade.

Leadbitter is still the same though, snapping into tackles, fizzing pinpoint balls beyond the opposition defence and controlling the pace and tempo of the game from the heart of midfield. He is a Championship player playing in League One, but while his technical ability will be important between now and the end of the season, his leadership skills will be even more invaluable. George Honeyman might have worn the captain’s armband at the weekend, but despite only having had two training sessions with his new side, Leadbitter was the player driving everyone on.

“He’s a great addition for us in terms of the way he is around the club,” said Ross. “I’ve got a few of them in Lee (Cattermole), Glenn (Loovens) and George (Honeyman), who make a good contribution that people don’t necessarily see. Grant is part of that.

“He’s got a good understanding of the game, good experience within the game, and that willingness to share it. Not all players are comfortable doing that.

“He’s that type. I’ve seen it in training and he’s only been here a couple of days. I think he’ll still be a little bit within himself because he’s getting familiar with the group and each individual character. But the more types you’ve got like that, the better, because it helps you see out difficult games like Saturday’s, and win them.”

Ross was happy with the way in which his side ground things out at the weekend, even if he was forced to concede they were well below their best for much of the afternoon.

Scott Wagstaff almost floated an eighth-minute chip over Jon McLaughlin from close to the halfway line, and while the Sunderland goalkeeper scrambled the ball behind, the visitors should have scored from the corner. A scramble on the edge of the six-yard box ended with the ball dropping at Will Nightingale’s feet, but the midfielder blazed a shot over the bar.

Nightingale went close again on the half-hour mark, this time inadvertently, with Reece James’ hurried clearance cannoning into him before rebounding just wide.

Sunderland failed to record a single effort on target in the first half, with Wyke’s lack of mobility hampering their attacking, but the game hinged on one moment of genuine class midway through the second period.

Leadbitter arrowed a 40-yard pass over the head of Wimbledon full-back Tennai Watson, and McGeady steadied himself on the left-hand side of the area before drilling a precise finish into the far corner.

There was a late scare for the hosts as Wagstaff broke into the area with six minutes left, only for McLaughlin to get down to save his low strike, but Sunderland saw things out with a minimum of fuss.

“We didn’t play brilliantly, and it was a tough game, but we won it, and it’s very much about that at this stage of the season,” said Ross.

“Where we are, and with the games we have to catch up on, there could be a few of them like this in the next few months. Any time you achieve success as a club, and win a title or win promotion, it’s winning games like this that is important.

“We could have played a lot better, but we kept going, and ultimately we scored a good goal to win the game.

“I look at points per game, and although it’s maybe a bit simplistic, on points per game, we have the second best record in the league. That’s something we have to be aware of, and remind ourselves of at times. If we keep on track with that, then we’ll be there or thereabouts.