SUNDERLAND were left cursing bitter rivals Newcastle after blowing the chance to close the gap on the top two.
And Miron Muslic kept his promise he would not leave the North East a beaten man as Nathanael Ogbeta secured a 2-2 draw at the death for the basement boys.
GettySunderland missed the chance to cut the gap to the Championship leaders[/caption]
GettyPlymouth earned a 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light[/caption]
GettyThe Pilgrims were able to use Newcastle’s training facilities[/caption]
The Pilgrims boss revealed he called in a favour as they travelled up 24 hours early on Thursday to avoid Storm Eowyn.
Muslic, who made five changes from Wednesday’s 5-0 defeat to Burnley, revealed: “We arrived here having the opportunity to use the training facilities of Newcastle United.
“I used my contact with Paul Mitchell, the sporting director, so they gave us all the facilities we needed. We actually used this storm to work on the pitch and I think it was good.
“We stayed together for two days so we could use it for some tactical sessions and some video analysis and just to get a little bit closer and to know each other. So in the end the possible disadvantage was actually an advantage.
“With the hospitality of Newcastle United, that was the only thing with it. They told me I cannot lose the game over here. So I kept my word.”
Sunderland, meanwhile, were poor all afternoon as Regis Le Bris’ side face the prospect of potentially being four points off automatic promotion by Monday.
They were nearly punished when Anthony Patterson’s clearance fell straight to Adam Randall, but the keeper managed to scramble back to save his long-distance strike.
After a poor opening half hour, the impatient crowd had something to cheer as Sunderland registered their first shot on target when Dan Neil’s vicious volley was tipped wide by the full-stretched Conor Hazard.
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They had to wait until the 42nd-minute for their next one as the goalie pushed away Dennis Cirkin’s diving header and then his header hit team-mate Luke O’Nien’s and went wide in a moment that summed up their first half.
It should have been Plymouth ahead at the start of the second.
Ryan Hardie’s last goal came back in September when the Pilgrims beat Sunderland at Home Park.
And he could not have asked for a better opportunity to break his 133-day duck as Mustapha Bunda’s teasing cross found him completely unmarked six yards out – only for him to head off target.
Fortunately for him he made amends as the basement boys stunned the Stadium of Light.
Chris Mepham failed to deal with a cross into the box, it deflected out to Hardie, and he managed to rifle a low cross-cum-shot off Patterson’s leg into the net for an own goal.
Though any hopes of securing a first league away win of the season quickly evaporated inside two minutes as Hume’s cross from the right was hooked in first-time by Wilson Isidor.
Sunderland were nearly caught again by a sucker punch when Patterson managed to tip Callum Wright’s inswinging shot onto the post.
And it proved to be a pivotal moment as the Black Cats turned it round just 14 minutes after falling when Trai Hume controlled Enzo Le Fee’s free-kick and rifled home.
That looked to be it – but slack Sunderland had been playing with fire all afternoon and they eventually got burned in the 90th minute.
Ogbeta pounced at the back post as the home defence failed to clear Darko Gyabi’s ball to leave Le Bris pulling his hair out.
The Sunderland manager, whose side face a short trip down the A19 to sixth-placed Middlesbrough for the Tees-Wear derby next, said: “We did talk in the week about taking the opportunities when they arise and that opportunity was there with Sheffield United losing on Friday night. So it’s a big opportunity missed.
“Yeah, I don’t think like that really, because we’ll make the summary at the end of the season and it’s not just a question of round, it’s a question of total at the end.”
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