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Hull City vs Sunderland AFC: Rodwell’s Head Quashes the Dread

By Alex McCain

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Traveling to the KC Stadium without a win in their last five matches, Sunderland AFC were set for a face off against Hull City. On the other side of the pitch, the Tigers were hoping to capitalize on the Black Cats’ recent miseries both on and off the pitch.

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Hull City took an early lead 16 minutes in, after Dame N’Doye diverted a Tom Huddlestone free-kick into the back of net. From that moment onward, things threatened to get drastically worse for Sunderland; a premise that was punctuated 22 minutes later when Gus Poyet clashed with a red-faced Steve Bruce. 

The Uruguayan’s words evidently roused anger and indignation from Bruce resulting in Poyet being banished to the stands as officials held back the Tiger’s boss. Sunderland looked on course to lose the match, just as Poyet looked on course to lose all sense of discipline.

However, all was evidently not lost. Sunderland was able to hold off Hull City long enough to earn a substantial chance of their own. In the 77th minute Patrick van Aanholt’s scooped cross found the head of Jack Rodwell, leveling sides at one.

The equalizer was almost short lived as N’Doye just missed his second from point-blank range. Had it not been for the ever-present heroics of Romanian mountain Costel Pantilimon, Hull City would have walked away with the three points.

In the closing moments of match, neither side could find a winner. The clubs shared the points as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Though the pressing question for Sunderland fans remains firmly in the air. Where does the club go from here? The ‘Poyet out’ camp has been growing in numbers over the past few weeks.

The recurring miseries of the Black Cats have only helped the anti-poyet sentiment grow. The side practically spoon fed QPR their first home win while failing to defeat League One side Bradford City, ending Sunderland’s FA Cup dreams for another season.

There have been many a complaint and conjecture as to why Sunderland have disappointed throughout the course of this season. One such complaint was the squad’s inability to score goals. A complaint that is proved statistically true.

The Black Cats would currently stand as the lowest scorers in the Premier League if not for the existence of the drought ridden Aston Villa.

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The January arrival of Jermain Defoe — albeit an improvement from the hapless Jozy Altidore — has yet to prove a significant difference. This is not to discredit the former English international as a striker. Defoe contributed to the win against Burnley and produced a sublime individual goal to grab a point against Swansea.

However, the side’s problems — from my own point of view — aren’t necessarily the quantity of goals, but the pace of Sunderland’s squad, or to put it another way, the sheer lack thereof.

Patrick van Aanholt frequently catches my attention as a pacey full-back with the capacity to significantly contribute to the attack. Though this is arguably not exploited that much due to him playing as a full-back.

A devoted winger would probably achieve a lot more with such speed. Because of this claim, some possibly more sympathetic fans may point to Will Buckley to solve such an issue. However, as far as I’m concerned, Buckley can offer little more than the occasional run, and often looks out of his depth.

Overall, the premise of relegation remains entirely possible. Seeing the Cats pick up a point at Hull City isn’t the worst thing that could happen to a Sunderland fan.

Some attractive home fixtures still remain. If all goes according — or close enough — to plan, there could certainly be three teams below Sunderland come the final whistle of the Premier League season.

Next: History of Premier League Relegation

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