Sunderland man stars in new role while inspired sub makes the difference - moments missed at Bristol City

Sunderland fell to a 2-1 defeat against Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Good Friday.

Phil Smith was there reporting for The Echo and here he takes you through some of the moments you may have missed away from the key headlines of the game...

Sunderland pay tribute to Carlton Fairweather

Sunderland paid tribute to Carlton Fairweather after his death on Monday. Fairweather was a beloved figure behind the scenes at the Academy of Light, holding a variety of coaching roles across over two decades of service at the club.

Tributes had poured in throughout the week from the Sunderland community, with players and staff from across multiple generations remembering the impact Fairweather had on them.

Sunderland's players wore black armbands during the game, while a shirt with 'Fairweather 63' on the back was placed in the dressing room ahead of the game. There are set to be further tributes at the Stadium of Light on Monday as the club celebrates and pays tribute to his legacy on Wearside.

Dan Neil stars in a new Sunderland role

Having started the game brightly, Sunderland were forced into an almost immediate tactical reshuffle when Trai Hume was shown a red card for a foul on Nakhi Wells. Régis Le Bris responded by switching to a 4-4-1 shape, with Luke O'Nien shuffling out to right back. That meant Dan Neil dropped into the heart of defence, a big task for a midfielder who has built such a reputation for his technical quality.

It's a job he has done before, but it was striking how well he acquitted himself here. It was no great surprise that he was able to make such good decisions on the ball under pressure, but most notable was comfortably he also got through his defensive work. If this scenario were replicated in the play-offs the Sunderland head coach will hope by that stage he has more natural defensive options and such a left-field move won't be necessary, but Neil showed here he can step up.

Another decent Salis Abdul Samed cameo here increases the chance of Neil getting a rest on Monday, with the Lens loanee now close to a start. Hume's suspension will likely mean that Alan Browne comes back into the side at right back.

Even Régis Le Bris loses cool with refereeing decisions

By the time the game had finished, Le Bris was keen not to get drawn into too much public debate about the refereeing. He disagreed with the decision to send Trai Hume off but said Sunderland had to accept it, and took the positive that it could be a very useful learning experience for the play-offs.

During the game, though, even this most mild-mannered of head coaches was left exasperated. As Sunderland's frustrations with the officials grew through those opening exchanges, Chris Mepham was left despairing as a throw in went against him after a long ball forward. Le Bris was staggered, making his displeasure clear and through his gestures politely (or not so) suggesting that the officials watch the game in front of them. It was that kind of game.

Liam Manning gets it right at half time

Credit where its due, the Bristol City head coach got his half time switches exactly right. Sunderland had managed the first half with ten superbly, limiting the hosts but creating opportunities to break themselves. Manning had been faced with a dilemma before the game when his usual wing back Mark Sykes was ruled out for the season, and here he opted not to go with the attack-minded Yu Hirakawa. He corrected that at the break, and the width and crossing ability he brought helped changed the flow of the game. Ross McCrorie switched flanks as a result, and his aerial dominance at the back post caused all sorts of problems.

With the defenders also instructed to take a more aggressive approach to challenging Eliezer Mayenda, Bristol City began to apply pressure in a way they just weren't able to manage in the first half. It did feel for much of the second half like their win was ultimately inevitable, and it hadn't felt that way before Manning's intervention at the break.

Joe Anderson makes league return

With Le Bris carefully managing the minutes of the players in his squad, Leo Hjelde was brought off with around ten minutes to play. That meant Joe Anderson got his first league minutes since May 2023, on that incredible afternoon where Sunderland swept their way into the top six at Preston North End.

With Dennis Cirkin expected to return to the squad next week, he might not feature again this season but Hume's suspension could bring him in line for a few more minutes on Monday.

Sunderland’s travelling fans upbeat despite defeat

By the end of the game there was a superb atmosphere in Ashton Gate, the home crowd understandably buoyant as their side closed in on a crucial win in the race for the play-offs. You could still hear the Sunderland support loud and proud, however, and the songs in question made clear their feelings on the performance.

'Don't worry about a thing' was followed by 'on our way.. to the Premier' and there was a generous reception for the players at the final whistle. There will be disappointment with the end result but the application and spirit on show was clearly appreciated. From fans to players, there was no feeling that this would have any bearing on the play-offs next month.

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