'Still got another gear': Sunderland boss delivers this message after climbing back into the League One top two

Wigan Athletic have two games in hand on Sunderland, but the Black Cats cut the gap to Rotherham United at the top of the League One table to a single point.

A Ross Stewart penalty and a clever Elliot Embleton finish established a 2-0 lead at half time, before an own goal secured a third in the second half.

Doncaster’s squad had been heavily hit by injury and a COVID-19 outbreak in the build up, and Johnson was pleased to see his side capitalise with a clinical display.

“It was really professional from us,” Johnson said.

“We knew it was a bit of sticky wicket for Doncaster in terms of the players they had out, though of course we do as well.

“But I remember being at Oldham and it's tough when you lose three or four players, especially against a club like Sunderland.

“We had to be professional, find control.

“The early goal helped and then I felt we forced it a bit too much, we let them off the hook a bit by trying that goal ball too often, too early. The second goal came at a really good time, it was getting a bit frustrating.

“From there the control we had was really good.”

A positive day in the promotion push was overshadowed by the news that Nathan Broadhead could be ruled out for the rest of the season, with a replacement in the January window now crucial.

“It's a disaster, we're going to need help in January,” Johnson said.

“We've got ourselves in a position where we're in the coattails of the leader, with WIgan obviously having games in hand.

“There's big expectations here and we're going to need to produce. I still think we've got another gear in us, I think we can hit top gear by adding quality [in January], getting players back, and keep hammering down on the philosophy.

“When we played simply today, which is the hardest thing to do, we looked a really good side.”

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