New signings, a sprinkler soaking and THAT Portsmouth fan: The moments you might have missed from Sunderland 1-0 Pompey

We take a look at some of the moments you might have missed from the defeat at the Stadium of Light – from new signings to a soaking from the sprinkler!:

NEW SIGNINGS IN THE STANDS - AND A SHOW OF TOGETHERNESS

Much has been made of Sunderland’s depth this season and, with the likes of Jordan Willis and Tom Flanagan returning to the match day squad over the course of the week, the breadth of options available to Phil Parkinson means some players will inevitably be left sat in the stands.

Among those who missed out against Pompey were new signings Dion Sanderson and Callum McFadzean, although this was little surprise.

Parkinson confirmed in the week that Wolves had marked the Black Cats' card in regards to Sanderson, who they felt would require a period of training before being deemed match fit.

McFadzean, meanwhile, may also take some time to get up to speed having spent the summer without a club.

Joining them in the stands were Dan Neil, Jack Diamond and Morgan Feeney – who is recovering from a long-term hamstring injury.

It was interesting to see that, following the warm-up, the players who had taken a seat in the stands retreated back to the dressing room to take part in the final pre-match team talk.

A nice show of togetherness, meaning even those not in the squad feel involved in the match day.

STOPPING THE QUICK RESTARTS

An experienced referee at League One level, Robert Lewis was far from the worst official we’ve seen at the Stadium of Light since the club’s drop into the third tier – but nor was he the best.

Indeed, there were a couple of moments that caused some real frustration in the Sunderland ranks.

The first came after an off-the-ball incident which saw Denver Hume go down, with Portsmouth’s Ryan Williams booked.

Hume’s shout of frustration after the incident was audible across the Stadium of Light and Sunderland were quick to make their views on the incident clear to the referee and linesman – the latter of whom had an excellent view, it must be said.

Later in the first half, the Black Cats were far from pleased when they were stopped from taking a quick free-kick.

It’s something we’ve seen the side do regularly under Parkinson as they look to get the ball moving and this set-piece came at a time where the Black Cats were pushing forward in search of a leveller.

But after the ball was knocked short and Sunderland looked to build, Lewis called the play back – insisting he wasn’t quite done lecturing Portsmouth captain Tom Naylor.

That allowed Portsmouth to regroup, and the set-piece came to nothing.

It’s all hypothetical now, of course, but that decision stopped Sunderland from playing at a moment where they were in the ascendancy. And there were few moments of that nature during the game.

THE SHOW OF CHARACTER

Denver Hume has been one of Sunderland’s most consistent performers this term, which made his momentary lapse in concentration which led to Portsmouth’s first goal even more surprising.

But the hallmark of any good player is how they react to moments such as these, and Hume’s response was superb.

Within minutes, he had set-up Charlie Wyke’s leveller and for large spells of the game he looked Sunderland’s brightest attacking spark – regularly driving at the visiting defence.

It was a real show of character from the youngster to bounce back, and his performance after Pompey’s opener was one of the few positives the Black Cats could take.

THE HEAVY TOUCH

While Sunderland enjoyed plenty of possession in the second half, they failed to force Pompey stopper Craig MacGillivray into a meaningful save.

But there were moments of real potential in the final third, not least one which came just seconds after the restart.

The Black Cats were on the front foot and found Denver Hume in space on the left, with his fizzed cross evading the Portsmouth defenders and landing at the feet of Chris Maguire, who was on the penalty spot.

Maguire’s tough, though, was uncharacteristically heavy and the chance vanished. Had he brought the ball under control, you’d have backed the Scot to stroke the ball home and level the scores.

It was these fine margins that Parkinson alluded to in the week when discussing what would ultimately decide this game.

On this occasion, it was Portsmouth who saw the crucial moments fall their way.

A SOAKING FROM THE SPRINKLER

There was little to smile about for Sunderland on what was a disappointing afternoon.

But the Black Cats’ substitutes certainly got a laugh at the expense of one of their Portsmouth counterparts during the half-time interval.

As Danish defender Rasmus Nicolaisen headed to retrieve a stray ball in the centre of the pitch, he was blasted by a sprinkler right in front of the Sunderland players who were completing their half-time warm-up.

Safe to say it slightly lightened up proceedings after an underwhelming first half.

THE BELLS, THE BELLS…

One of the most recognisable football fans in England is Portsmouth’s John Westwood, a die-hard supporter who follows the Fratton Park side up and down the country.

And as reported by some of our colleagues on the south coast in the build-up to the game, he was planning on making the journey to the Stadium of Light – even though the game was to be played behind closed doors.

Presumably he made it, given the sound of his infamous bell could be heard wafting into the stadium during quiet moments of the second half.

A message from the Football Clubs Editor:

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Sunderland AFC coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of SAFC coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription to our new sports-only package here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor