Sunderland Claim Valuable Three Points Away To Sheffield Wednesday
Jack Clarke’s brace helped Sunderland get back on track as the Black Cats earned a 3-0 away win at Hillsborough.
Sunderland came into Friday Night’s game needing three points to get back to winning ways after last Sunday’s defeat to Cardiff City and that is exactly what they did with what was an easy 3-0 win at Hillsborough.
Coming into the game with four wins from eight, the Black Cats looked heavy favourites against the winless Sheffield Wednesday, and with ongoing battles off the pitch, the Owls desperately needed something that could give the fans something to smile about.
However, Jack Clarke’s Man of the Match performance wrote off any hope that Wednesday fans had.
Wednesday’s momentum was already low heading into the match with owner Dejphon Chansiri coming out and saying that he will not be putting any more funding into the Championship club since he is unhappy with the way that fans have been treating him and his family recently with alleged threats against them.
To add to this, club captain Barry Bannan was missing out of the squad with an injury as well as Josh Windass.
Fortunes didn’t seem to change for Wednesday fans though, and not even five minutes into the match, they were on the back foot when goalkeeper Devis Vasquez gave away a loose pass resulting in an opposition free-kick just outside the area. Alex Pritchard’s free-kick was hit into the wall and resulted in a corner, swiftly taken again by Pritchard.
The in-swinging corner found the head of unmarked Dan Ballard, who headed home for his second goal of the season on the five-minute mark.
Relentless pressure from Mowbray’s side continued, and just three minutes later, Sunderland had another goal. Clarke this time added his name to the scoresheet, cutting in from the left and finding the bottom right corner to make it five in five for the 22-year-old.
It was a poor start from the Owls, but not long after this, they managed to ride the storm, and halfway through the first-half, they managed to create their first chance of the game, forcing Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson into a pressured save giving them their first corner of the night.
Despite Sheffield Wednesday’s best efforts, it was Sunderland who in the 31st minute won themselves a penalty from a good piece of build-up play which saw Bambo Diaby drag Mason Burstow to the floor.
With no complaints, it was Clarke once again stepping up and calmly sliding the ball into the bottom right corner, seeing the Black Cats comfortably take a 3-0 lead into half-time. A poor performance from Xisco Munoz’s side left them with everything to do in the second-half.
A reasonably quiet start to the second half with no changes from either side saw Sunderland more than happy to come out and protect their advantage.
With the crowd slowly disappearing, it took the home side 10 minutes to create their first chance of the half, Callum Paterson saw his first attempt go over the bar, and only two minutes later, he forced Anthony Patterson into a good reaction save.
Despite Wednesday looking as if they were trying to make a comeback, it was Burstow and Jobe Bellingham who down the other end of the pitch nearly made it four.
A quiet last half hour of the game saw Sunderland use all five subs and even managed to give new singing Jenson Seelt his debut in the 85th minute.
The youngster who joined in the summer from Dutch Side PSV has been out so far with an ankle injury, and with the game looking dead and buried, Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray must have thought it was the perfect time to introduce the 20-year-old centre-half.
Only a few minutes later, Wednesday created what was arguably the best chance of the half forcing Patterson into a great save.
The quiet half soon came to an end with boos ringing around the ground.
It’s evident that Wednesday fans are losing patience with the club on and off the field.
Zero wins so far this season, and although the second-half performance was miles better, Man of the Match Jack Clarke had already put the game to bed by the end of the first-half.
With seven goals from nine games for the ex-Leeds United star, his season has got off to a flyer.
Sunderland now sit in fourth place with 16 points from nine games, proving that although they have a very youthful side, they are still going to be a team to be reckoned with this season.
On Wednesday night, they will look to take another three points when 16th-placed Watford travel to the Stadium of Light.
As for Sheffield Wednesday, they still sit rock bottom on only two points from a possible 27. The Yorkshire side head to the West Midlands on Tuesday night to take on 13th-placed West Bromwich Albion, a must win for the Owls if they are to give themselves a chance of Survival.
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