Behind the scenes at Gillingham 0-2 Sunderland: Luke O'Nien's hilarious tactic and the scenes that sum up this squad

We take a look at some of the moments you might have missed from the win at Priestfield – from a telling Phil Parkinson shout to a hilarious tactic:

‘Hallelujah!’

Parkinson had spoken in the build-up about Sunderland needing to stand-up to scrutiny when it came to Gillingham’s set-pieces.

And that was certainly the case in the first half, as the hosts sent a string of corners in the Black Cats’ box, where the wind made them difficult to deal with.

There was no shortage of physicality in the box either, with the Gills looking to assert themselves and make it to the ball first.

Indeed, that was the case across the park in the first-half with referee Scott Purkiss - whose decision-making throughout the contest was suspect at best – allowing a number of Gillingham fouls to go unpunished in the build-up to their first corner.

But once the ball swung into the box, he was pointing the other way after Vadaine Oliver was adjudged to have fouled Luke O’Nien.

The immediate shout from Parkinson was ‘Hallelujah!’.

Whether that was for a foul eventually going Sunderland’s way, or for the fact his side successfully navigated the first corner of the game, we’re not sure.

But on the whole the Black Cats’ boss will no doubt have been pleased with how his side dealt with a string of corners, long-throws and free-kicks.

Touchline tempers boiling over

Ah, Steve Evans.

He was far from happy with the referee during Gillingham’s midweek defeat to Ipswich and was similar scathing of the performance of the man in the middle during the clash with Sunderland.

There were some legitimate grievances with the officials, but Evans’ complaints largely centred around the award of Sunderland’s penalty – which he later conceded was the right call.

The linesman bore the brunt of his criticism following that decision, with Evans later shown a yellow card for his persistent complaints. He was arguably lucky it wasn’t more given the strength and volume of his complaints.

In the first-half, it was the referee who was on the end of an Evans rant after he failed to award the hosts a free-kick following a slip by one of his players.

‘Well done ref! Superstar!’ was the call from the home bench, while at times tempers somewhat boiled over between the two benches.

Sunderland’s staff, to their credit, remained largely claim amid Evans’ constant appeals.

Luke O’Nien’s hilarious tactic

They say an advantage can be key in a game - and O’Nien certainly tried his best to gain some marginal advantage for the Black Cats.

As the game ticked into the final 15 minutes, there was a break in play as a Gillingham player received treatment.

The hosts took the opportunity to dish out some tactical advice with assistant manager Paul Raynor showing some documents to his players - and the lurking O’Nien.

It took a few seconds for the Gillingam players to notice that O’Nien, smiling and laughing in the huddle, was taking a peek at their private resources.

He was promptly removed by Connor Ogilvie, much to the amusement of some of his Sunderland teammates!

Grant Leadbitter’s call for calm

Not for the first time this season, the opening exchanges were played at a rapid pace.

There was plenty of desire but little quality on show as both teams spent far more time chasing the ball than they spent on it.

But key to calming things down as the half wore on was Grant Leadbitter.

His composure helped settle Sunderland after that hectic opening period and gave the visitors a base from which to build from.

It was interesting that, with 16 minutes on the clock and as the ball trickled out of play for a Sunderland throw-in, Leadbitter’s first instinct was to turn to his teammates and call for calm.

The experienced midfielder’s impact on this side cannot be understated and, particularly in moments where the game is for more frantic than Sunderland would like, he plays a key role in helping settle things down.

The substitution that wasn’t

Spare a thought for Will Grigg after this triumph.

The striker was stripped and ready to enter the fray just as Charlie Wyke was brought down in the box – with the substitution quickly shelved as a result of Chris Maguire’s finish from the spot.

It means the striker is still waiting for a real opportunity to make his mark, having been an unused substitute at Rochdale after a brief cameo against Portsmouth.

It’s hard to drop Charlie Wyke at the moment given his performances are arguably as good as they have been during his time at Sunderland.

But here’s hoping Grigg gets a chance in the cup games in the coming weeks.

The post-match scenes that sum-up this squad

We've heard time and time again this term about the spirit in the Sunderland dressing room.

And post-match, as the media spoke with penalty hero Lee Burge, the spirit was evident – with jokes flying between players walking past the interview zone, and a few cheeky comments made at Burge’s expense.

Plenty of remarks have been made about the atmosphere within the Academy of Light over recent years, but this year it really does seem that the Black Cats have a tight-knit group.

Here’s hoping that will pay dividends on the pitch.

A message from the Football Clubs Editor:

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Sunderland AFC coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of SAFC coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription to our new sports-only package here.

Your support is much appreciated.

Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor