Mike Dodds' key dilemma and a crossroads moment for youngster: Phil Smith's Sunderland AFC conclusions

Sunderland were held to a 0-0 draw by Bristol City on Saturday despite delivering an improved performance from the shambolic defeat to Blackburn Rovers earlier in the week.

Here, Phil Smith analyses the action and picks out his key conclusions...

A SMALL STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND AN EYE-CATCHING PERFORMER

There are a couple of ways you could look at this game and performance, both of which would be entirely fair. You could say that this was a significantly improved effort from Sunderland, who played well in the first half in particular and should have taken all three points. You could also lament the fact that the club's campaign has collapsed so dramatically that a 0-0 draw felt like a step in the right direction.

There could be no doubting the application on this occasion, though, and some of the play in the first half was encouraging. This felt a little more like the Sunderland of the first half of the season under Tony Mowbray - one that regularly controlled games and impressed but just lacked the killer instinct in the box to capitalise. In fairness, here that was as much about the exceptional performance from Bristol City's goalkeeper Max O'Leary as it was poor finishing on the home side's part. Though Sunderland produced a very poor first-half performance in the return fixture earlier this season, they did more than enough in the second half to get something out of the contest. On the evidence of these two fixtures, Bristol City have a very good goalkeeping prospect on their hands.

ABDOULLAH BA APPROACHING SOMETHING OF A CROSSROADS AT SUNDERLAND

The biggest surprise on Sunderland's teamsheet at 2pm was that there was no place in the squad for Abdoullah Ba. The welcome return of a number of senior forwards is handing Dodds a dilemma from game to game but after not coming off the bench against Blackburn, this decision suggests Ba has work to do behind the scenes.

Ba made a good start to the campaign, seemingly finding something of a settled position on the right wing and impressing there on a few occasions. He was one of a number of players who suffered from the turbulence in the dugout through the second half of the season, shifting positions and dropping in and out of the side on a regular basis. Now, though, Chris Rigg has moved ahead of him in the pecking order and it was Romaine Mundle who Dodds decided to have on the bench.

Dodds played down the significance of the decision after the game, which suggests that Ba will be back in the squad over the course of the next week or two.

DODDS FACING A TRICKY BALANCING ACT MOVING FORWARD

Dodds has made clear this week that there'll no major experimenting with the team over the last few games of the season, stressing the need to finish strongly and give supporters some positivity to take into the summer. While there may well be one or two chances for young players (it's probably fair at this stage to consider Rigg as a permanent member of the senior squad), Dodds said that would be earned in training and not simply handed out.

While that is undoubtedly the right approach, there has to be an argument as the season concludes that it would make sense to give the club's best prospects opportunities over players in the squad who are either unlikely to be here next season or play a significant role. The calibre of Sunderland's next two opponents in Leeds United and West Brom probably demand the selection of the strongest squad possible, but thereafter it might make sense to reassess. Some exposure for Tommy Watson in particular ahead of Jack Clarke's potential exit this summer would surely make sense.

EKWAH GETS POST-MATCH APPROVAL

When Pierre Ekwah's performance was mentioned in the post match press conference as something to take encouragement from moving forward, Mike Dodds had a wry smile and said that there must be a bug in the changing room. The point had clearly been made to Ekwah that this was the level he needs to stay at moving forward, particularly in the first half when he dominated the midfield battle.

"At times he doesn't like me but I don't care, because I know I'm doing right by him. I don't let him off the hook," Dodds said.

AJI'S RETURN A MAJOR BOOST MOVING FORWARD

Even in a brief cameo from the bench, Aji Alese's contribution was a good one. It's been a problem position for Sunderland for the vast majority of the season and if Alese can stay fit next season, and Dennis Cirkin with him, then it is going to be a significant boost to the club's hope of maintaining a play-off push.