It was a blessed relief to pick up this mornings paper and find no report of a Sunderland defeat. Maybe not playing is the answer. I know I really needed and enjoyed my weekend in the lakes, where the papers were still bumping on about Rio Ferdinand having his ban extended...see what happens when I write something complaining about that sort of thing never happening to Man Utd? Just as when I wrote about Thierry Henry being my favourite opposing player, and he promptly handled his way to infamy. If you want something to happen, ill write the opposite and it will.

After the dullest deadline day imaginable, despite Sky Sports repeatedly proclaiming otherwise, we lined up Gordon, Mensah (predictive text mental, which is nice) Killa, Turner, McCartney, Steeeeed, Cana, Catts, Reid, Bent, Jones.

With more than half a side of ex-Sunderland players in the squad, Stoke set their stall out immediately – get it up in the air as soon as possible and at every opportunity. After only two minutes, George and Killa went for the same ball, leaving Whitehead a free run on goal, but thankfully Gordon did well to save. We went straight up the other end, and Jones almost found Reid, then Bent nicked the ball from a defender and got into the box, but got crowded out. Kenwyne got in a hooked shot from a corner, but it was straight at Tommy One, Cana won a typical challenge to find Malbranque but the shot was way off target. The ball was moving from one end to the other without every really becoming entertaining, and it was us who looked the more likely to do something with it. Unfortunately, we never quite did do anything that mattered. We won four corners, and the stats show that we had four times as many shots as Stoke – four. The ref seemed happy to let most things go, including Jones taking a real battering and having his shirt stretched a number of times. A typical tackle from Cattermole saw Whitehead raise both hands to our man, but receive only a yellow card – consistency, Mr referee, please! Reid was having plenty of the ball, but his delivery was often wasteful – corners were high and loopy, and only one free kick tested Sorenson who took the ball under the crossbar. Gordon kept them out, but a period of wayward kicking did little to please the fans. As two added minutes were announced, the ref let himself down again as a Stoke player knocked the ball away after a goal kick was given to us, and there was no card. Rules, man ref! All of which made Cattermole’s booking all the more irritating.

No changes at the break, and we seemed to open the play up a bit more, but we still allowed ourselves to be drawn into Stoke’s style of play, and instead of getting behind them or playing through them, we tried to play over them. With Huth and company at the back, they can soak that sort of stuff up all night – and they did. The best cross of the night came when Bent got round on the left and rifled in the ball causing confusion but bringing no goal. Stoke’s free kick caused a real scramble, and we were glad when it ended up a corner, then Gordon went down to produce some smart keeping to tidy up. When Steed got in the way of a cross and was penalised for handball, I commented that the ref would never have given it had it been in the box. You’ve guessed it, two minutes later Bent’s attempted cross was stopped by a hand in virtually identical fashion, but no spot kick was forthcoming. I’ve just seen it on the TV, and it was a lot more than ball striking hand. A definite penalty. Typical, and then, as Jones attempted to reach a corner, his shirt was rived so far up his back by Shawcross that you could see his shoulders. Shame the ref was the only person in the ground that didn’t see it, and the linesmen are never going to flag for that sort of thing. Tuncay was replaced by Fuller, who made a real nuisance of himself, then we threw on Zenden and Campbell for Reid and Steed. Campbell worked his socks off and almost got through on a few occasions down the right, while Zenden tried to get us round the back on the left, but was forced to turn inside on many occasions. He did float one just wide after being forced inside, then Fuller and Mensah almost came to blows and were both booked. Gordon saved well again, and on came Spearchucker Delap to add his throws to Stoke’s attack. He caused the usual ructions once or twice, but we kept them out by some desperate defending, and Henderson came on for an obviously knackered Cattermole. There were four minutes added, but I have a feeling that if we’d played all night we wouldn’t have scored.

A bitterly disappointing game, in which we failed to get the ball on the deck enough in the midfield, and failed to get behind the fullbacks. Bent waited in vain for a ball over his shoulder, or inside the centre half, in order to show his pace and run at Sorenson. Jones was getting no change out of the visiting defence, which we knew would happen, and put in some good defensive work as well. Defensively, yet another line-up in which Mensah produced some telling tackles and McCartney tried to get forward. Killgallon and Turner don’t really look like the way forward as a pair, but did enough to keep Stoke at bay. The central midfield of Cana and Catts did what was expected, but out wide there was simply not enough penetration.

On a positive note, we kept a clean sheet and got a point.

Man of the Match? Difficult, as nobody stood out, but I’ll give it to Mensah for getting in some vital blocks and showing how to tackle.

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