Ex-Sunderland owner spotted at Bristol City match plus former West Ham coach speaks with Cats defender

Sunderland were held to a goalless draw against Bristol City at the Stadium of Light - with conditions making it tricky for both sides.

The hosts created the better chances in the first half as opposing goalkeeper Max O’Leary made some impressive saves. Black Cats substitute Bradley Dack then went close after the interval when he headed Trai Hume’s cross against the bar. Here are some of the moments you may have missed:

Sunderland switch sides

In blustery conditions at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland captain Luke O’Nien opted to switch sides after winning the coin toss, allowing the hosts to play with the wind in the first half.

The visitors had O’Leary to thank for keeping them level at the break, with the goalkeeper making an excellent save to keep out Dan Ballard’s header following a corner. Speaking to Bristol City’s website after the match, O’Leary said: “Wind is probably the worst one, I think if you ask any player they’ll play in anything but wind is pretty tricky. They flipped us round and we had to weather the storm, as you’d say. We dealt with it and started to play with more of the stuff we wanted to implement.”

Ex-Sunderland owner in attendance

Former Sunderland owner Sir Bob Murray was in attendance at the Stadium of Light for the match. Murray became the club’s chairman in 1986 and held the position for over 20 years. The 77-year-old released his autobiography ‘I’d do it again’ at the end of last year. All proceeds from sales of the book have gone to the Foundation of Light.

O’Nien’s reacts to crucial block

While Sunderland were the better team in the first half, they almost fell behind on the stroke of half-time. O’Nien was well placed on the line to clear Mark Sykes’ shot from close range. The Black Cats captain then clenched his fists as if he’d just scored a goal.

Bristol City forced to change plans

The Bristol City squad had planned to fly back to Bristol from Newcastle airport, yet the high winds meant their flight was cancelled. As a result, the Robins had to change their plans and travel back to the South West by coach.

“Our flight home has been cancelled,” said Bristol City boss Liam Manning after the match. “It’s the wind apparently – it’s bad up here and apparently it’s quite bad in Bristol as well. We found out, as a club, at half-time, but I only found out after the final whistle.

“We’ll have to go by coach now so that’ll add about five hours to the journey home. I guess I’ll spend the time watching the game back. That’s how sad I am. I’ll stick it on the laptop, watch it back, and then use some of that in training next week.”

Aji Alese chats with ex-West Ham coach

One of the big positives for Sunderland was Aji Alese’s return from injury, with the defender making his first senior appearances since January. The 23-year-old came on in the 66th minute and had a quick chat with Bristol City boss Manning, who coached Alese while managing West Ham’s youth side, after the game. “He was my 21s coach, 2017, 2018 at West Ham,” explained Alese. “I had a quick chat with him after the game. He just said it was good to see me doing well and keep going.”