How Sunderland's frustrating Huddersfield draw highlights tough play-off challenge - but fans can still dream

Blackburn Rovers were adamant that Ben Wilson had used his hand in the process of scoring a remarkably 95th-minute equaliser but the goal stood and the race for the top six remained wide open.

The odds remain stacked against Sunderland for a variety of reasons. Despite their poor recent form Millwall have a major advantage, facing all-but relegated Wigan Athletic and Blackpool in their next two fixtures.

West Brom and most significantly Blackburn Rovers still have a game in hand on the Black Cats, vital when the margins are so fine.

Then there is the simple fact that in all likelihood Sunderland will have to clear a hurdle that they have not yet managed this season and win three consecutive Championship games. All three against teams in the top half, to boot.

At half time on Tuesday night it looked as if Tony Mowbray’s side would do just that but by the end the frustration at the Stadium of Light was acute and in truth, it was 90 minutes that underlined why this group is probably not ready to take that next step, not yet at least.

Or perhaps it would be fairer to say it showed why circumstances have made it so much more difficult to take that next step right here, right now.

The approach that Huddersfield Town took told you everything you needed to know. Generally Neil Warnock’s approach since taking charge has been to surrender the ball, to rely on the counterattack and most heavily on set plays for goals. It has been exceptionally successful in the circumstances, and yet here there was a significant shift.

Though it was in part guided by the loss of the influential Jonathan Hogg to injury, Warnock on this occasion pushed his side up the pitch. At half time, he urged them to be even bolder still, to step up another yard further.

We didn’t want Sunderland to play anything short, he said, not even a goal kick.

He could take that gamble for this game, and probably not for some others, precisely because he knew his defence would not be exposed by the home side playing over the top. Sunderland just don’t have the personnel to do that in their current guise.

Mowbray’s dilemma was familiar and his squad in the absence of Edouard Michut even thinner. Commit to try and play through the press at high risk, or try and shore up the midfield and risk a stalemate.

Had they known Huddersfield would forgo their lowblock for something more ambitious, perhaps Mowbray and his coaching staff would have leaned towards the latter and gone with Pierre Ekwah in midfield. By the second half they were caught between the two, Sunderland vulnerable to the counter and particularly as Dan Neil had picked up a yellow card. Yet after Josh Koroma’s goal they also needed another one themselves, leaving Mowbray reluctant to sacrifice his attacking players on the pitch.

Though the decision to bring on Tom Watson and push Jack Clarke infield almost yielded the winner when Amad was just unable to control the latter’s pass, Sunderland looked disjointed and were unable to build the level of pressure they needed.

Mowbray’s assessment was that they had lacked their usual sharpness of passing, encouraging Huddersfield and their press. On Saturday he risked losing the game in order to win it with a very similar set-up, and it paid enthralling dividends. Here, it did not. Such is management, such is football.

The challenge for Mowbray is that the situation will not necessarily ease anytime soon and in fact it could yet get worse. There are at this stage no guarantees Michut will return this weekend, while Danny Batth has to be considered a doubt after limping out of the latter stages. While there was some hope that Dan Ballard might yet be able to make a return, Sunderland will exercise caution given his long-term importance.

The positive for Sunderland is that they have shown they can compete with the better sides in the division, and with their current issues it arguably suits them better to face sides who need goals and wins themselves. They will need to attack and leave space, bringing players such as Amad and Patrick Roberts firmly into the contest. Sunderland’s away form exceeding their home is no coincidence - but a reflection of the strengths of the players Mowbray currently has at his disposal.

It’s a prospect to relish, really, because to be even having this discussion is a minor marvel. Sunderland have already produced the best season by a promoted side since Millwall in 2018, and though you would expect a club of this size to fare better than some, the budget remains a fraction of the majority of the other teams in the race.

A frustrating end to the January window has been compounded by relentless injury issues, a combination that could easily have derailed a campaign entirely.

Mowbray has kept Sunderland in the hunt by trusting the technical ability of his young and inexperienced squad, and by invariably taking the attacking option when it has presented itself.

On Tuesday night, as had been the case against Stoke, it didn’t really work out but generally that invention and creativity has carried an impressively spirited young group further than anyone could have anticipated.

That means we can dream for another week or two yet and from there, whatever happens, the challenge will be to bring to this squad the balance that can make an even stronger campaign next time around a distinct possibility.