Sunderland spurn huge FA Cup opportunity against League One Port Vale
The Black Cats were dumped out of the FA Cup by Port Vale, who currently sit rock bottom of League One.
Cup football has always been popular in the North East, but until Newcastle United’s triumph in last season’s Carabao Cup, the region had been starved of success since Sunderland won the FA Cup in 1973. With the Magpies exiting this season’s FA Cup at the hands of Manchester City, Sunderland knew that a real opportunity had presented itself for them.
Premier League safety was all but assured by the Black Cats after their victory over Leeds United in midweek. It left the club in the unusual position (in the context of recent years) of being able to give the FA Cup a real go. A win over the side bottom of League One, Port Vale, would see Sunderland into the last eight.
After what has been an almost model season for a newly promoted side going up from the Championship to the Premier League, the chance of crowning such a campaign with a trip to Wembley and even a trophy almost seemed too good to be true. And so it proved.
Port Vale have endured a tough season in League One, but still found it within themselves to knock out a strong Sunderland side. “Disappointed”, was how Régis Le Bris described his emotions at full time, perhaps masking his true thoughts. Or perhaps not.
“We wanted to go further”, Le Bris continued, lacking full conviction in what he was saying. His side went out in the Second Round of the Carabao Cup on penalties against Huddersfield Town, and now exited the FA Cup against Port Vale. Clearly the Premier League has been the priority, but such results will frustrate supporters.
Le Bris will certainly have been annoyed with his side’s performance. “We didn’t do enough”, he made clear, before speaking about the importance of consistency. In truth, there was indeed consistency between this display and the one at Elland Road in that they were equally lacking in quality. Against Leeds they got the job done, against Port Vale they did not, but valid concerns remain.
The pitch at Vale Park had been a talking point ahead of kick off, with it being less than Premier League standard, to put it nicely. This was not an excuse for Régis Le Bris, however, who had made it very clear that his side would have to adapt to suit the conditions. As a club, Sunderland spent several years in League One not that long ago, with matchday captain Luke O’Nien playing a huge part in it.
And yet, despite his experience at this level, it was O’Nien who almost put through his own net in what was the first real hair raising moment for the Premier League side. A back pass that he played to goalkeeper Melker Ellborg more closely resembled a hoof upfield, or even a conversion in rugby. It was goal-bound until Ellborg, leaping like a salmon managed to head the ball over the bar and out for a corner.
There then came a perplexed smile on the face of Ellborg as he looked at O’Nien following the incident. In truth, there was nothing to smile about as Port Vale took the lead soon after via a source that the Sunderland supporters at least, will certainly not have wanted.
Ben Waine was born in Wellington, New Zealand, but his mother’s family hail from Tyneside. As a result, Waine grew up supporting Newcastle United. It was he, of all people, who headed Port Vale in front, after Sunderland had failed to clear their lines from a corner. It almost felt inevitable.
Waine’s Shearer-esque celebration, with one hand raised aloft, added insult to injury for the Black Cats, but crucially they still had plenty of time left in the match. Surely this would be but a small and temporary embarrassment?
It turned out not to be. Instead Waine’s goal was the defining moment of the match. In the second half Sunderland huffed and puffed, bafflingly trying to play their usual passing game on a surface that would not allow for it. Before Vale’s goal, Eliezer Mayenda had struck the post, but following that their only half chances came either from set pieces or when they eventually they sent the ball long and above the pitch.
Port Vale stood firm though, and on occasion, darted forward on menacing counter attacks. Unlike Sunderland, who wasted too much time passing on the halfway line, the home side played penetrating balls towards the Black Cats’ final third, one of which nearly saw Ellborg sent off.
George Hall sprinted through and in his attempt to take the ball past Ellborg he was brought down by the Sunderland keeper. Referee Anthony Taylor decided that Hall was heading away from goal at the time of the foul, and Ellborg escaped with a yellow card instead of a red.
All of Sunderland’s last ditch attempts were foiled by Port Vale, and by the time the final whistle came, the Black Cats looked very deflated. It represents a huge reality check for many players at Sunderland who have perhaps got by on the adrenaline and excitement that the Premier League has brought them. Port Vale is a far cry from the glitz and glamour of the top flight, but they were enough to see Sunderland come terribly unstuck.
Absolute garbage