Making sense of Sunderland's last-gasp heartbreak and what a thrilling game told us about Tony Mowbray's side

A heartbreaking penalty with the very last kick of the game, three points within Sunderland's grasp at the end of a performance that was at times exasperating, at times completely enthralling.

Perhaps it sums up the season, a little.

Sunderland have competed with just about each and every opponent they have faced, and in doing so have produced a season which far betters that which the vast majority have managed in their first season following promotion from League One. Still there can be no disguising a sense of frustration when so often, the top six has been within touching distance and yet just agonisingly out of reach.

This wild, basketball game probably went some way to explaining that contradiction - underlining why Sunderland have come so close and why at this stage, they have not been able to take that final step. In those closing moments their inexperience was on show, a decision to go for a fifth goal when in control of the ball with less than a minute of stoppage time left to play. Then, a naive decision to race into a challenge inside the box when the danger was good as passed and the final whistle quite literally seconds away.

This is a team, as Mowbray said afterwards, that is learning at the coalface and so moments of naivety are inevitable. It's also a team, an issue discussed so often here that it barely merits going through again, missing some key attributes and some depth in key positions.

Sunderland's home form this season has quite simply not been good enough and some of the tactical issues that have underpinned that were obvious again. In midfield they were for 30 minutes almost entirely overrun, trying to be a front-foot, possession-based team but too vulnerable to the counter in the moments where their bold forward play didn't quite come off. Dan Neil in particular grew into the game and stood up to the challenge, and after the half-hour mark the hosts were finally able to assert a reasonable level of control. Consistency, control - qualities that demand experience and balance. Sunderland's bet is that through development and smart recruitment, they will achieve that in time. To have a team playing with this much quality and this stage of the journey is a feat on Sunderland's part.

They have also had truly rotten luck with injuries, most notably up front but equally frequent in defensive areas. Losing players like Dan Ballard, who is now facing a race to play again this season, will always catch up with you along the way.

Afterwards, Hull City boss Liam Rosenior spoke of the journey his side are undergoing and his aim to move them to a place where they can dominate games without leaving themselves stretched. This game, he said, showed that it was a balance they were still trying to strike even if he felt there were many positives on show. It's a verdict you can easily extend to a Sunderland side whose play under Mowbray is very often a delight to watch, but who at the moment are struggling to turn it into consistent results.

It can't be understated just how much of a delight it was, at times. Particularly in the second half, when Amad had fully got up to speed of the game and was an almost constant thorn in Hull's side. Having been on the receiving end of Mowbray's ire for a languid first 20 minutes in which Hull ruthlessly exploited Sunderland's left flank, Jack Clarke time and time again broke away from his full back and was borderline unplayable at times. The two almost combined for a fifth goal that would have trumped the fourth, but Clarke on his weaker foot could only fire over the bar.

None of this should be taken for granted, either. Hull City recruited ambitiously and extensively in the summer window, and their budget for the current campaign will far outstrip Sunderland's. They are one of many Championship sides who came into the campaign expecting to be pushing for the top end of the table but have struggled to turn that into reality.

There had been a subtle change of tone from Mowbray ahead of this game, refusing to draw a line through Sunderland's unlikely push. He, like so many on Wearside, had seen so many results break for the Black Cats and wondered - could it still be possible?

See out that long throw, get over the line, and the gap would have been just four points ahead what is objectively a relatively kind run of fixtures.

It's not quite over yet, though the odds are firmly against Mowbray's side. And so he now faces something of a balance, knowing that he has to expose players such as Abdoullah Ba and Isaac Lihadji a little more, to build their experience ahead of next season so they are ready to compete and also to see if they are ready to help fill the gap that Amad will inevitable lead. And yet, he also needs to keep picking a side strong enough and experienced enough to keep the season exciting for supporters, at least over the next week or so.

This was most definitely an opportunity missed but it probably also told us something else, that for all the positives this is a side not quite ready to take that last step.

Perhaps they are, all things considered, just about where they should be.

It's a big summer ahead - but we knew that already.