Phil Smith's verdict: Alarming second-half collapse underlines the major fear Sunderland fans are feeling

Both sides poured forward in search of a winner, 4-v-2 then 3-v-1 then 5-v-2. Panicked clearances aplenty, players popping up in positions that you might never see them again.

There was a certain logic to it, a point not particularly useful for either side.

From a Sunderland perspective, though, you could only peek through your fingers and think, ‘how has it come to this?’

At half time they had been in complete control.

Accrington Stanley played with intent, as to their credit they always have done when Sunderland have faced them at this level, but Lee Johnson s side revelled in the gaps that created.

Johnson had sprung a slight surprise in bringing in Aiden O'Brien for Grant Leadbitter, but the extra body in the opposition half made sense through the opening exchanges.

Sunderland pressed with intent and caught their opponents cold. The tempo was excellent and with Denver Hume quickly settling into a groove behind Aiden McGeady on the left, the game seemed to be heading in only one direction.

Two more goals for Charlie Wyke, both the kind of first-time efforts that he has made his trademark this season.

Though he would fade in the second half, this was the day when he took his tally to 30 for the campaign across all competitions, a genuinely superb feat. His efforts here should have all but ended the contest.

In his post-match assessment Johnson felt the first errors were made in this spell between that second goal and the half-time whistle, and that was true. Sunderland had gilt-edged opportunities to extend their lead but couldn't take them, leaving the door just ever so slightly ajar for Accrington.

What followed was inexcusable. From the off Sunderland were off the pace, losing too many duels and pushed back into their own half as a result.

John Coleman's side sensed their opening and took it, a deft finish from Colby Bishop opening up the game. Sunderland never really recovered.

Even though the first equaliser was entirely self-inflicted, a complete breakdown of communication at the back leading to Luke O'Nien heading a long free kick from the Accrington goalkeeper past Lee Burge, it was in keeping with the pattern of the game.

As Johnson fairly pointed out, Sunderland did miss good chances of their own in this period but all over the pitch they were second best.

The head coach had responded by introducing Grant Leadbitter in the hope of bringing some control to proceedings but the flow of the game didn't turn.

Sunderland could have won it in those frantic final minutes, but Accrington left the Stadium of Light equally frustrated that they had not managed to claim all three points and given the way the first half had gone, that told you everything.

From a position of almost total dominance, Sunderland's winless run extended to six games and for Johnson there is much to ponder.

The absence of his senior defenders is undoubtedly continuing to have an impact, clearer by the game as soft goals are conceded.

That offers some mitigation, but even accounting for those issues Sunderland's game management in recent times has left a lot to be desired.

Johnson said afterwards that he wasn't sure whether we are seeing the psychological impact of the last two seasons in Sunderland's collapses, but there is one common theme within this winless run it is that time and time again his side have not responded well enough to adversity within games.

At Wigan their composure deserted them at the vital moment, the final 20 minutes passing them by in a blur of panicked long balls and aimless crosses.

This felt similar even if the pattern of the game was very different.

There is a heaviness about Sunderland again, and belief across Wearside has understandably ebbed away.

Three points from eighteen tells its own story and perhaps the most frustrating aspect of all of this is that it really seemed like the corner had been turned.

Johnson had spoken earlier in the year about the club's capacity for self sabotage, and the challenge of moving beyond that.

So much of what followed felt like exactly that. Sunderland played well in most games but dug out results even when they didn't. Injuries were aplenty but their impact on the end product was meagre; Sunderland were increasingly a team of resilience and control.

This should not, by any stretch of the imagination, be the start of an insipid end to the season.

As they did at Wigan, at Blackpool and against Charlton, Sunderland played in patches more than enough quality to show they can succeed in a play-off campaign.

Johnson needs a boost in the defensive third and there will be an anxious wait to see if Dion Sanderson is cleared to return in the coming week.

His biggest challenge, though, seems to be in battling the weight of Sunderland's recent history.

After the game he said the first task for his team is in securing a play-off place, which is no longer quite the inevitability it was a fortnight ago.

Then he wants to 'reset', and at the forefront of that is ensuring his team manage these spells in games better.

Too often the plan seems to have been lost in the panic.

This is, it is worth remembering, the same group who turned Sunderland's campaign around from the winter doldrums and so there should be no reason why they are not capable of doing so again.

But this latest implosion was a collective failure and simply nowhere near good enough.

If there was a weariness on Wearside then it is because it feels as if we have watched this sequence play out just too many times over three failed tilts at the top two.

It is up to Johnson and his squad to change the mood, and quickly at that.

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