Bailey Wright explains what Sunderland won't be doing after their lacklustre Portsmouth display

Bailey Wright insists Sunderland will not be tearing-up their strategy after a first defeat of the League One season – and says the Black Cats know where they must improve in coming weeks.
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An uncharacteristically sloppy defensive performance contributed to the Wearsiders’ 3-1 reverse against Portsmouth, with the side second best for large spells of the contest.

But despite the setback, Wright says that Sunderland won’t be drastically altering their approach in the coming weeks – and will instead focus on fine-tuning the aspects of their game which they know need to improve.

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Speaking after the defeat, the Australian said: “We take a lot of pride in being solid defensively and not conceding, which we have done.

Bailey Wright explains what Sunderland won't be doing after their lacklustre Portsmouth displayBailey Wright explains what Sunderland won't be doing after their lacklustre Portsmouth display
Bailey Wright explains what Sunderland won't be doing after their lacklustre Portsmouth display

"Although saying that, we know there's going to be games where we concede and we lose and unfortunately today was one of them.

Credit to Portsmouth, they came here with a plan and executed it well.

"There were fine margins in the game and fine points in which the game changes.

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"We're not going to get too disappointed about it. This is football, we've had a good start and we just continue to keep doing all the things we're doing that have given us success so far.

“We know what we're good at and what we've been good at, and we know the things we need to improve.”

One area that many have pinpointed for improvement is in front of goal, with Sunderland having narrowly won games in which they enjoyed near-total dominance.

And while Wright acknowledges that some scorelines this season perhaps didn’t reflect the Black Cats’ dominance, he feels that the goals will start to flow in the near future – having revealed how the attacking players have caught the eye behind the scenes.

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“A win, any win, they're hard to come by,” said the defender.

"We've dominated many games this year and maybe not got the reward of the amount of goals we've deserved.

"Credit to the lads, we've created, we've been at it, we've been solid - they are our foundations and we pride ourselves on them and we work on them.

"The attacking lads, the goalscorers, every day in training it's so difficult playing against these boys.

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"It's only a matter of time until we are a bit more free-flowing with the goals because the work is there, the quality is there, the commitment is there and we just need that rub of the green. A big win could come our way, but whatever wins we get we'll take them and keep building.”

The Black Cats face an immediate opportunity to bounce back and rack-up three points when they travel to Rochdale on Tuesday evening.

A victory would not only see Sunderland bounce back from their Portsmouth disappointment, but would also see Phil Parkinson’s target of a two-points-per-game average maintained.

“It's a cliche, but you've got to focus on your next game and look at the positives and build, and then look to take maximum points,” said Wright of the trip to Spotland.

"The next one for us is Rochdale and we're ready for that.

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"Two points per game, it's a good average but this is a tough old league. We have a good togetherness on and off the pitch and we have a lot of things that are ticking boxes.

"Today, there were a lot of positives to take and a look of criticisms that we can look to build on and be more resilient. With every game comes an opportunity to get stronger and that's how we look at it.

“Midweek games are good,” he continued.

"If there's no midweek game then we get some preparation done on the training field. There's pros and cons whichever way you look at it, but the good thing is we can get back on the pitch and look to put it right in what will be another tough game.

"There's a lot of tough games and a lot of football left to be played and we're looking forward to it and relishing the challenge.”

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Wright is once again set to feature in the North West, with the centre back joining Lee Burge and Luke O’Nien as the only players to feature in every game so far this season.

Yet while delighted to be playing regularly after a tough time with injury in recent years, Wright knows that Sunderland's squad could come to the fore in the coming weeks.

"It's a long old season and the team is going to chop and change,” admitted the 28-year-old.

"There's going to be injuries, there's going to be suspensions, tactical changes and that's the beauty of having the squad we've got. We've got such a strong squad that anyone can come in and do a job.

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"For me, fortunately I've had a good run of games and played in the middle of the back three, but everyone is fighting for that shirt and you can't be complacent with the squad we've got.

"We're all going to need to be together and it's important we're all pulling in the right direction - and we are.

“I'm delighted to be a Sunderland player and I'm here, I want to be successful here and I feel good things are happening,” he added.

"We have a good group and the gaffer has built a good group and a culture. Obviously today, the loss is disappointing but we know what we're about, our goals and our expectations and we know what we need to do to achieve them.

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"Everyone has each other's backs, we're working together and I enjoy coming in every day and that's what you want. The plan is for success to follow that.”

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