Sunderland look to turn draws into wins as they head to struggling Wimbledon

Despite having suffered the fewest defeats out of any team in League One, promotion favourites Sunderland sit tenth in the table.

League leaders Lincoln have suffered five defeats already so far this campaign, while second place Hull and third place Portsmouth have six and four losses to their name respectively. The Black Cats have only suffered three, but sit 12 points behind the table-topping Imps.

This is because, of the 19 league games Lee Johnson’s side have played so far this season, they’ve drawn nine of them, the tied most in the entire division. Of those nine draws, six of them have finished 1-1, a score that’s becoming all too familiar for the supporters.

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Since the beginning of November, they’ve only won two matches (one being a 4-0 mauling away at Lincoln), succumbing to draws against Burton, Northampton and their upcoming opponents Wimbledon. Despite this, the Black Cats sit just three points off of fourth place Doncaster Rovers, with one or two games in hand on the majority of teams above them due to Covid-19 related postponements.

Their next game sees them travel to south-west London to face out-of-form Wimbledon, who’ve lost five of their last six games in League One, their only point coming from a 1-1 draw against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in mid-December.

Glyn Hodges’ side are in the midst of a relegation battle, sitting 21st in the table behind Rochdale on goal difference. The Dons have dropped ever closer and closer to the drop zone in recent seasons, finishing 20th in League One in the last two seasons.

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Wimbledon’s horrendous patch of form could provide an ample opportunity for Sunderland to get their promotion bid back on track. The Black Cats’ poor start to the season saw Phil Parkinson sacked at the end of December, before being replaced by former Bristol City boss Lee Johnson the following week.

Johnson has been touted as a Premier League quality manager, especially after the Robins’ stunning run to the Carabao Cup semi-finals in 2017/18 which saw them eliminate defending champions Manchester United.

However, his time in charge of the club came to a disappointing end when he was sacked in July 2020 following a run of four consecutive defeats. While the decision to drop down to manage in League One perplexed many fans, the opportunity to manage a club the size of Sunderland was too much to turn down.

As a result, there’s going to be increased pressure on him to turn the Black Cats into promotion contenders. He’s arrived in the North East with a strong pedigree and, what is on paper, a top-end League One side. He’ll be given the time to get his ideology and tactics through to the players, he’ll be expected to turn Sunderland’s draws into wins very quickly.

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While Johnson’s side have the joint-best defensive record in the division, he’ll have to focus on how they improve going forward, as the lowest scorers in the top half of League One. The Black Cats have mustered just 24 goals this campaign, with top scorer Charlie Wyke managing seven goals in 19 appearances. The club’s next highest goalscorer is 34-year-old defensive midfielder Grant Leadbitter.

For the Dons, there’s perhaps an over-reliance on striker Joe Pigott, who’s scored 11 and assisted four so far this campaign after missing out on a Championship move over the summer. Ollie Palmer was signed from Crawley to help ease the pressure on the 27-year-old, but he’s only managed one goal in what’s been an injury-hit debut season in south-west London.

As it stands, the gap between Sunderland and the playoffs is very easy to bridge, and their games in hand will help them do so. However, games against out of form sides such as Wimbledon have to be seen as must-win, as continuously dropping points will see them drop further and further away from a return to the Championship.

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