THIS time next week, the transfer window will have closed and Sunderland will hopefully have one or two more additions to help the promotion charge, but they will not be hitting February in the top two.

That is because, despite extending the unbeaten run to eight matches courtesy of this goalless draw with Doncaster Rovers, they could not make it three wins from three at the Stadium of Light to enhance their chances of sealing an automatic return to the Championship.

That is not to say it will not happen. In fact, given their recent upturn in fortunes under Phil Parkinson, there is every chance it will, provided they can develop a knack of edging to succeed in games like this that crop up on home turf.

This could easily have gone either way. Doncaster were decent enough, without being brilliant, and Sunderland enjoyed the better of the second half but couldn’t conjure up that little bit of magic in the final third to get the job done like Lynden Gooch managed at MK Dons last weekend.

Nevertheless, after collecting another point in the race for promotion, Sunderland have now climbed to fifth and sit within five points of the top two, a gap they would like to reduce by the time the full-time whistle has blown at Tranmere on Wednesday and to hit deadline day with.

Sunderland have played better in recent weeks, particularly on home soil, but having seen the 15-point deficit gradually disappear since the calls for him to be sacked on Boxing Day, Parkinson has every right to be a lot happier.

Had Duncan Watmore capitalised on a late chance that broke to him then the manager would have been even happier.

When football managers talk about turning points, there have been none bigger for Sunderland this season than winning at the Keepmoat in the final game match of 2019 when these two last met.

Many envisaged that game to be the one where Parkinson, who had endured calls for him to be sacked here on Boxing Day, would have to listen to further criticism from the stands. Instead, courtesy of a stirring match-winning display, it was a performance that galvanised the squad and supporters.

Of course, more positive results were required, and they were delivered, in fact the 13 points from the last 15 available to them has lifted Sunderland back into serious promotion contention. Now, having entered the final four months of the season, Parkinson and his team are intent on maintaining it.

But Doncaster had enjoyed their own resurgence before losing to Coventry last week, and they resembled a side which had won four of its five matches either side of the first meeting after Christmas.

With the exception of a Joel Lynch header in the 21st minute that shaved the side netting from Chris Maguire’s corner, Sunderland had plenty to do deal with in a defensive sense against a team with clear intentions to move forward.

Soon after that Doncaster’s own centre-back Tom Anderson went close with his header from the lively Jon Taylor, who was always lively down that right-hand side and someone Sunderland’s back three had to deal with.

When Reece James, sold to the South Yorkshire club after his one season on Wearside, pinged a ball out to the right for Taylor to control just before the half hour mark, it looked like he might put Doncaster ahead.

He had plenty of space to run into but the low effort he struck towards goal flashed across the six-yard box and ended up rolling for a goal-kick when he ought to have at least tested goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin.

Doncaster had clearly done their homework on Sunderland. Parkinson has settled on a system of late, and a line-up he likes, and it has gained the rewards since the turn of the year. It was a lot harder for his players to control the tempo this time like they did in the previous wins over Wycombe and Lincoln.

There were certain decisions from referee James Adcock that didn’t help Sunderland’s matters either.

Having got off on the wrong foot with the fans by completely missing Cameron John’s late trip on Maguire, the man in the middle then needlessly booked Wyke for diving even though he appeared to be clipped after flicking the ball beyond his man.

As Adcock left the pitch at half-time he was barracked by the home fans, and it seemed like it was all of them given the noise levels, but Sunderland still had to come up with a way to deliver the three points themselves regardless of the officials’ decision making.

There was no disputing that Sunderland did find an extra gear after the restart. Doncaster were by no means put on the back foot, though, and they kept plugging away even when the home crowd sensed a goal could be on the cards.

With the hour approaching, Lynden Gooch and Denver Hume enjoyed more freedom and were more purposeful down the left. That meant there was suddenly greater space for O’Nien and even Jordan Willis to exploit on the other side.

And during Sunderland’s heaviest spell of pressure, with play switching from left to right, Willis was left in acres of space to whip in a low delivery that looked perfect for Maguire to turn in but he could only direct his effort over the bar from six yards.

Sunderland kept pressing, even though McLaughlin was forced into his first save when he denied Madger Gomes and Taylor headed the rebound wide. The problem was they were not doing enough to test Seny Dieng at the other end either.

When they did create Sunderland missed the target. O’Nien headed another Maguire delivery over the bar at the back post with 20 minutes remaining and that led to Parkinson sending on Watmore and Kyle Lafferty to freshen the attack for the closing stages.

O’Nien was next to try his luck too. This time from distance but the effort rolled into the arms of the diving Dieng, and that was the only time Sunderland recorded an effort on target throughout the 90 minutes.

There was another couple of chances in stoppage-time when Watmore glanced a cross into the arms of Dieng, who then denied him with his feet, but Sunderland couldn’t find a way through this time.