HAVING won the Papa John’s Trophy at a deserted Wembley, Sunderland’s reign as champions ended in front of a sparse and shivering crowd at the Stadium of Light last night. Rarely can a piece of silverware have been won and then ceded with so little fanfare or fuss.

With Lee Johnson’s decision to make ten changes to his starting side underlining where the Papa John’s Trophy sits in the priority list – the Sunderland boss went one step further by replacing two of his few first-team players at half-time – the Black Cats limped out of the competition as they were beaten by League Two Oldham.

Harry Vaughan capitalised on an error from Cieran Dunne to score the Latics’ winner at the start of the second half, and Sunderland’s cobbled-together mixture of youngsters and fringe performers was unable to locate a route back into the game.

The group stage of the Trophy proved useful in terms of blooding some of the Black Cats’ academy talent, but as previous seasons have proved, the competition’s latter stages can prove a major distraction. There will be no Trafalgar Square takeover next March, but Sunderland fans will not mind one jot provided Johnson can lead the club back into the Championship come May.

His changes last night were understandable, with Leon Dajaku the only player to keep his place from Saturday’s win at Cambridge. The most notable name in Sunderland’s starting side was that of Arbenit Xhemajli, who was making his first senior appearance since rupturing his cruciate ligaments in September 2020. As well as representing a heartwarming personal story, Xhemajli’s return to senior action provided Johnson with a welcome boost to his central-defensive options.

The Kosovan was neat and tidy as he played in the middle of Sunderland’s three-man backline, although there were plenty of occasions when the home side’s defence as a whole was put under pressure by the team currently sitting 23rd in League Two.

Oldham did not play like a side in grave danger of dropping out of the Football League, with Sunderland’s 21-year-old left-back, Dunne, having an especially difficult night as the Latics doubled up down their right.

A 24th-minute break down that flank led to a corner which almost resulted in an Oldham opener as Carl Piergianni’s header was blocked by a collection of bodies close to the goalline, and a minute or so later, Hallam Hope was breaking into the right of Sunderland’s 18-yard box to fire in a low strike that Lee Burge turned around the post.

All of Oldham’s play was coming down the Sunderland left, and Jack Stobbs should really have scored when he burst between Dunne and Ollie Younger to reach Vaughan’s through ball on the stroke of half-time. Instead, he pulled his shot wide of the far post.

Sunderland’s attacking play was initially extremely disjointed, although Benji Kimpioka wasted a glorious opportunity in the 13th minute as he shot into the side-netting after breaking free in the area.

As the night wore on, so the link-up play between Kimpioka and his 21-year-old strike partner, Will Harris, improved, with the latter twice coming close in the space of three minutes at the end of the first half.

First, he brushed a side-footed effort wide of the post from the edge of the area, then, after being forced wide as he rounded Jayson Leutwiler, he was unable to force his shot past the scampering goalkeeper, who recovered his ground to parry behind.

The half-time departure of Dajaku and Embleton highlighted where Sunderland’s priorities lay, and with the Black Cats’ second-half line-up even more inexperienced than the first, Oldham claimed their winner eight minutes after the break.

Dunne’s testing evening continued as he found himself caught under a long ball that dropped deep in the Sunderland half. His attempted clearance served up possession to Vaughan, and the midfielder strolled into the area before slotting past Burge.