Sunderland fan blog: Why Luton Town draw proved a step in the right direction

Against a Luton Town side that came out of the traps quickly, opened the scoring when it hurt the most for the away side, and imposed themselves well on the contest, Sunderland dug deep when it mattered the most to produce a good point on the road.

At the best of times, Kenilworth Road is a tough place to go. Nathan Jones guided this side to the Championship play-offs last season, before eventually crashing out to Sunderland’s next opponents, Huddersfield Town, and have begun this season rather well.

But, after last Sunday’s 4-0 thrashing by local rivals, Watford, the Hatters were desperate to get back to winning ways, so their quick start was no surprise. How Sunderland dealt with that period of pressure was rather telling: they bided their time, and through the added physicality of Bailey Wright, the Black Cats were able to, just about, deal with Luton’s threat.

Yet, at half time when Carlton Morris poked the Hatters into the lead, you seemed to wonder how this Sunderland side would react, and as the second half clock ticked away, it was looking as though this battle was fading into another disappointing afternoon for Mowbray’s side.

However, with a flurry of influential substitutions from the Sunderland head coach, the Black Cats began to turn the tide. This midfield battle was suddenly beginning to be one where Sunderland were on top, and through the welcome return to action for Ellis Simms, the away side had a focal point.

So, when Elliot Embleton tucked Jack Clarke’s cut-back under the Luton goalkeeper, you could feel the sigh of relief from the travelling contingent at Kenilworth Road, and from those watching back on Wearside.

It’s no understatement, as well, to state that Sunderland could have easily snatched all three points from a rather frantic ending, as Roberts curled an effort narrowly around the left post, whilst Simms almost marked his return to action with a goal.

But, for Sunderland, a point was quite good enough. After last week’s humiliating defeat to Burnley, it marks a step back in the right direction for the team.