Lee Johnson reflects on Sunderland's improved form and a key factor in strong home record

The Black Cats came out on top in a frenetic encounter against Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon, winning 2-1 in a game that could have yielded far more goals.

Johnson's side were utterly dominant through the first half, and created some significant chances even as the visitors stepped up in the second.

Sunderland have improved their home record this season, and it has been notable that their possession statistics have often been lower than last season.

It's an approach the head coach believes will suit both his players, and the home support.

"We want the fanbase to enjoy the games, that is a big thing for us," Johnson said.

"We want it to be a bit end-to-end at times, because that then allows us to use our speed in the front two.

"Sometimes when a team is camped in they can be hard to break down and that's something that we've seen before.

"The last two or three games, I think they've been really good adverts for League One, and we've been able to capitalise on the space in the pitch because the lads are at it."

The win of Steven Schumacher's Plymouth Argyle extended Sunderland's unbeaten run in the league to six games, even as a raft of senior players have been absent through injury.

Johnson said his focus was on maintaining the consistency of Sunderland's performances, as he seeks to 'flatten the waves' on Wearside after a turbulent month or two.

"I've learned as well in this phase, how the emotions can change" Johnson said.

"What we've got to do is be consistent and when we reflect on games, do so objectively.

"In my role it's about flattening the waves, and trying to drive improvement wherever that may be.

"We've had a bad spell, and now we're in a good spell.

"We could arguably have had four more points in that spell of six games that we're unbeaten, but consistency of performance is always the key in being successful."

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