Another Sunderland injury scare, Alex Pritchard calls plus Rotherham boss Leam Richardson shows class

As the Sunderland players left the pitch at the New York Stadium, Rotherham boss Leam Richardson stood by the tunnel to shake their hands individually.

In the end, the Black Cats came away with a hard-fought point after Jack Clarke's deflected effort cancelled out Sam Clucas' stunning opener. The 1-1 draw means Sunderland end 2023 in seventh, two points off a play-off place ahead of a home game against Preston on New Year's Day. Here are some of the moments you may have missed at Rotherham:

Annoyance after Patrick Roberts injury blow

Sunderland were dealt a setback in the first half as Patrick Roberts was forced off with an injury, with the winger able to limp around the pitch in front of the away fans who applauded him off.

The setback comes in the middle of a busy period, with the Black Cats set to play four matches in ten days, ending with the fixture against Preston. After Roberts was forced off, his brother and agent Adam tweeted: "Absolutely ridiculous the amount of games played over this period. Needs to be changed." It should also be noted that Rotherham only named six substitutes out of nine available, with their squad stretched over a busy period.

Alex Pritchard calls

After Rotherham had taken the lead three minutes after half time, courtesy of Clucas' volley from the edge of the box, the Sunderland fans started calling for Alex Pritchard to come on. Despite missing this month's game against Coventry with an illness, the 30-year-old has made a significant impact over the last month.

When he did come on in the 64th minute, Pritchard delivered the cross which was punched away by Rotherham goalkeeper Viktor Johansson, before Clarke made it 1-1.

Luke O'Nien injury scare

After losing Roberts early in the match, there was a brief scare late in the game as Luke O'Nien collided with Rotherham substitute Tom Eaves and needed treatment. Nectarios Triantis was told to warm up on the touchline, yet O'Nien was able to continue.

O'Nien was carrying an ice pack when he emerged from the tunnel after the match but was in good spirits and will be expected to start against Preston.

Injury boosts

There was some positive news on the injury front as Aji Alese returned to the matchday squad for the first time this season, following thigh surgery over the summer. Timothee Pembele, who was recovering from a long-term setback when he joined Sunderland, was also on the bench and came on to make his Black Cats debut in the second half.

With Bradley Dack unavailable due to a hamstring injury, Jewison Bennette was named in the senior squad for the first time since October.

Where it leaves Sunderland

The 1-1 draw leaves Sunderland seventh in the Championship with 37 points after 25 games - two points off sixth-place Hull. Interestingly, that is exactly the same number of points they had at this stage last season, after the Black Cats won 4-1 at Wigan, a result which left them fourth in the table.

While Sunderland finished sixth with 69 points last term, it seems likely they will need a higher points total to finish in the play-off places this time around.