Middlesbrough 1, Sunderland 1

Jan 12 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

DAVID Healy came in from the cold to strike a telling blow for the Ricky Sbragia revolution.

One goal down and hurtling into another searching inquest of Sbragia’s ability, the second half substitute justified the faith shown in him with a 10-minute cameo that hauled Sunderland away from the relegation quicksand and gave his manager breathing space.

Effectively written off by Roy Keane and dismissed by fans who only have eyes for Sunderland’s all-star attacking partnership of Djibril Cissé and Kenwyne Jones, Healy would have been heading for the exit if it hadn’t been for a change of leadership.

But Sbragia has seen something in the forgotten man that is worth retaining for the relegation fight to come and, right on cue, Healy exhibited it near the end at the Riverside.

Freed by impressive fellow substitute Andy Reid, he surged with purpose into the Middlesbrough penalty area and delivered a pass of rare precision which Jones smacked home. For Sbragia – still on probation with a swathe of Sunderland supporters still sceptical about his appointment – it was a decisive step towards answering some of the doubts.

Whatever his virtues as a coach of national acclaim, Sbragia has to prove himself all over again after being entrusted with the stewardship of Niall Quinn’s ‘Magic Carpet Ride’. While he might not possess the charisma of Keane, his razor-sharp football brain might be just what is required to save Sunderland from relegation. While Jones swiped the glory with his crisp finish, make no mistake it was Sbragia’s substitutes – Healy, Carlos Edwards and Reid – who altered the course of the game.

Reid’s contribution in midfield, replacing the non-existent El-Hadji Diouf, was particularly important. The midfielder has had far more minutes on the pitch this season than the Northern Ireland striker but he, too, has been a frustratingly marginal presence so far. Described by Keane as a player who had delivered the Black Cats to the ‘next level’ with his vision and quality on the ball, his impact has been fleeting.

Perhaps damaged by Giovanni Trapattoni’s decision to cast him aside at international level, Reid has found it difficult to produce any kind of consistency. He was on the bench at the Riverside because of a virus that has laid him low for the best part of a fortnight but his emergence hinted at a vital role for him in the weeks ahead.

Sunderland have plenty of players capable of filling the central midfield role among Sbragia’s 20 ‘untouchables’ but none have the ability to thread a pass or create space with a first touch like Reid. Those virtues are the pay off for his lack of industry, but at times before he left it had appeared that Keane had lost a bit of patience with the trade-off.

With performances like he produced in 25 minutes on Teesside, Reid provides his own reminder of why he deserves a place in the starting line-up.

Sunderland sorely needed the catalyst that Reid and Healy provided because for 45 minutes they had been dreadful. Middlesbrough, spurred on by a contribution of genuine class from their unsettled winger Stewart Downing, made all of the running and reduced Sunderland to a few speculative pot shots from Steed Malbranque and the disappointing Kieran Richardson. Understandably nervous after eight Premier League games without a victory, Boro blossomed as they followed in Downing’s confident footsteps and were rewarded with a goal before half-time.

Downing provided the ammunition to Afonso Alves who applied a smart finish past Márton Fülöp. Their cutting edge non-existent and losing the midfield comprehensively, the Black Cats were in trouble. But Sbragia, to his credit, made the change and Sunderland – aided by injuries that left Boro playing an untested centre-back in the heart of midfield – wrestled control of the game.

Edwards was denied by Adam Johnson’s goal-line clearance while in the dying seconds Cissé tormented the Boro back four with a sharp run halted by Tony McMahon’s decisive clearance. Still, it was encouraging enough stuff, and enough to suggest Sunderland can emerge from the desperate battle for survival intact.

They have the stomach for a fight even if – as was the case when Pascal Chimbonda and Nyron Nosworthy squared off with each other after the final whistle – it is occasionally within their own ranks.

It was written off as momentary rush of blood from both parties after a fraught finish to the Tees-Wear derby and the hope is that it is not representative of any wider problem presented by the enigmatic Chimbonda. Because the only fight the Black Cats should be concerning themselves with right now is the one to keep them in the Premier League.