Inside Sunderland's crucial step forward: How they managed it and where they stand

And breathe.

Sunderland and their supporters came into this game hoping for two things: Three points no matter how they come and just maybe, if it wasn’t too much to hope for, some signs that striking reinforcements might be on the way.

By six o’clock Tony Mowbray had been able to deliver both.

While acknowledging with a wry grin that he had said exactly the same thing on Thursday and it hadn’t materialised, the head coach told the post-match press conference that he anticipated a new striker in the building on Sunday. Either way, he is extremely confident it will have been sorted in good time for the trip to Coventry City next weekend.

With a win now on the board, you could feel some of that tension of recent weeks begin to dissipate. 

This still feels like a club and a team in something of a state of flux, and Mowbray himself conceded that there will be uncertainty probably right up until the moment that the transfer window finally closes later this month.

Last season was a joy for all close to it but even in the early stages of this game, that tension hung in the air and the fragility of that feel-good factor was apparent. Some frustration beginning to bubble as Mowbray’s side struggled to turn possession into real chances, that lack of penalty-box presence again all too obvious. And then after Rotherham’s shock opener, there were even some chants for Danny Batth.

Generally Mowbray commands the respect and support of the fanbase but that reflected the wider sense of unease that has permeated through the opening stages of the season, concerns that too many risks are being taken and that perhaps the core of that side who so delighted last year is being unravelled too quickly. Much of that is happening outside Mowbray’s control and remit, adding an extra layer of complexity to his job as he tries to manage what has become a delicate situation both externally and internally.

The huge ovations that greeted Alex Pritchard and Lynden Gooch when they were introduced later in the game were equally pointed and told a similar story.

That Sunderland have been better than their results suggested has been undeniable, even for those concerned about the general direction of travel. But having let what can only be described as a major opportunity against Preston North End pass them by last week, the significance of this game was obvious.

Sunderland just needed to find a way to get their season going and more specifically, to turn promise into points.

It spoke to football’s unpredictability that in truth, their performance here differed little from those that they had produced in the previous two league games. They had the better of the game and opened up their opponent with ease and at regular intervals, but didn’t turn that into clear chances often enough.

As a result, they left themselves vulnerable in the rare moments they were threatened, as had been the case at Deepdale and when Ipswich Town were the visitors here on opening day.

These are early days in the campaign at large but when Hakeem Odoffin turned the first shot of the game into a goal, it did feel a little like a recurring nightmare. There was no absurd deflection on this particular occasion, but you get the idea.

It made the equaliser barely more than a minute later a particularly vital one, and one that may well have real significance in the weeks and months to come. Rotherham boss Matt Taylor said afterwards that he and his side felt there was the chance to turn this into a really challenging atmosphere for the home side, but they switched off and allowed Sunderland to get back on an even keel.

From there on in there is no doubt that they were both the better side, much more like their old selves in the tempo of their play. That they were finally able to turn this into a win owed much to a clever tweak from Mowbray and his coaching staff, switching Jobe and Bradley Dack around. Dack has struggled to impact the game leading the line, dropping too deep and leaving Sunderland with no forward target. Jobe is no striker himself but he has the capacity to drive beyond defenders and finally, here was a player spending a good amount of time around the six-yard box. Low and behold, the chances began to flow and another day, there may even have been a hat-trick for the immensely promising 17-year-old.

Mowbray said afterwards that this spoke to Jobe’s greatest asset: A capacity to learn and adapt, and the humility to take instruction.

Mowbray had said on Thursday that it was time to get a striker in, that if a player in that position had anything about them then they would find a way to score plenty of goals in this team. Jobe’s breakout performance underlined hat, his bravery to get in the box rewarded with two goals and some other huge opportunities. 

Never too high and never too low, Mowbray knows that one win doesn’t change Sunderland’s world any more than two defeats did.

This is still a young side finding its way and with much to settle before a line can be drawn under what has been an at times challenging transfer window. 

You have to start somewhere, though, and it had to be here. Job(e) done, for now.