Accrington Stanley boss delivers this verdict on Sunderland defeat

The Black Cats were holding a narrow 2-1 lead in the second half when Colby Bishop looked set to level the scores, only for the 19-year-old left back to make a superb intervention just in front of his own goalline.

Coleman rued some slack defending from his own side, as Dan Neil and Carl Winchester's goals kept Sunderland at the top of the League One table.

"I thought we did enough to get something out of the game," he said.

"We gave as good as we got, made as many chances as they did and probably had about the same number of shots on target.

"But you give up silly chances like we did, gave the ball away too cheaply in the first half.

"To be fair they started the second half brightly and pinned us back, and got that goal in that spell.

"That's undone us because the last half hour it was one-way traffic.

"And that's what I've just been saying, if someone had told me 20 years ago we'd be playing here and they'd have five defenders on trying to keep us out, you'd have carted me away.

"But it counts for nothing, because you don't get any points.

"We have to defend better and take our chances better.

"To be fair, it's an absolutely unbelievable clearance [from Cirkin] to clear Colby Bishop's shot off the line. 95 times out of 100, that's going in.

"We're disappointed with the goals we gave away, we tried to be really positive and I don't think anyone could fault us for effort.

"I don't want to be the plucky underdog, because we've got every bit as much of a right to be here as they have.

"I'd like to see them fly, it's a massive club and I'd love to see them in the Premier League, but every time we play them we'll give them our best shot and I know that they don't like playing us.

"You could see in the last 20 minutes how much we forced them back."

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