‘Absolutely’ was the response of Huddersfield Town interim boss Jon Worthington when asked whether it was an intentional game plan to make things physical with Sunderland – a game plan which, ultimately, paid off as they secured a 1-0 win at the John Smith’s Stadium to move five points clear of the Championship relegation zone.
For Sunderland, however, it was a little bit of a case of déjà vu on their travels this season.
It was another game where if Jack Clarke did not score Sunderland, therefore, did not score, with Huddersfield keeping a good measure on the winger with an old school rough and tumble approach from both Matty Pearson and wide midfielder Jack Rudoni who helped double up on Clarke to significant effect.
It’s the sixth time Sunderland have failed to score on their travels this season and outside of Nazariy Rusyn’s equaliser at Middlesbrough earlier this month, which came courtesy of a Clarke assist, they are without a goal from another source since Dan Ballard’s headed opener against Sheffield Wednesday back in September. It’s no longer a concern rather than a huge issue for Sunderland and Michael Beale, and Tony Mowbray before that.
The idea of being a one-man team can be a little bit of a lazy synopsis but the evidence of being able to nullify Clarke and gaining results for opposition teams grows almost on a bi-weekly basis, certainly away from home – and Huddersfield knew it.
Worthington may not know how long he will be in charge for at the John Smith’s Stadium but with back-to-back home wins over Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland sandwiched between a committed showing in defeat at Southampton he is doing his cause no harm. As a player for Huddersfield, Worthington knew a thing or two about being combative and that’s exactly how he set his side up to deal with Sunderland from the off.
And it was Clarke who felt the brunt of it from Pearson in the early stages as he struggled to shake off a heavy challenge from the defender.
“Fighting in every duel, fighting for every second ball, taking the ball off opposition players, especially in midfield. That’s how I see the game and that’s how I think we dominated the game,” explained Worthington. “I can feel everyone onboard with that and it’s massive.
“I played with him [Pearson] so I know exactly what he can do. I know he’ll definitely run for me and he’ll do anything I ask of him and it was the same when he was a young lad playing at Halifax. I’m delighted for him today and that was an individual duel I’m talking about – I asked him to do that role [on Clarke], supported by Jack Rudoni who really doubled up and helped.
“That wasn’t by accident, that was the plan. He puts his head and body in where others probably don’t, that’s a rarity.”
The desire to be in Sunderland’s face was something considered by Sobra Thomas – the games outstanding winger on the night – as Huddersfield were able to complete a league double over the Wearsiders for the first time since 1960-61.
“We knew Sunderland had a lot of young talent, but we also knew that we could bully them on the day,” said Thomas. “We knew what we could do to win the game, and we stuck to our game plan, and it worked.”
Beale, too, conceded Sunderland’s vulnerability to Huddersfield’s physical approach.
“I felt Huddersfield came at the game and made it a really physical one,” he said. “Not in terms of fouling, just being physical in the duels, and they made us run back. There was a part of the game in the first half where they were up and at us and we had to roll our sleeves up a bit and give a bit back, but I’m not sure we did that well.”
But how do Sunderland find a way to combat the physical approach of teams to avoid being bullied in games? It’s an overarching issue which has troubled them since their return to the Championship, and continues to do so with the club unable to bring in a defensive-minded midfielder throughout the last number of transfer windows.
“We have to flip a mentality coming away from home,” Beale explained to We Are Sunderland. “Everyone is going to go for us when we go to their home stadium. It’s a league where everybody is caught up in something. People are chasing the play-offs or promotion, people are fighting for their lives down the other end.
“If you look at the table it’s two teams at other ends of the table but if you look at the form guide, Huddersfield are not in such a bad space, they scored seven goals coming in so we knew they’d come for us, they went for Southampton at the weekend so we knew they’d be up and at it.
“It’s fair to say we probably weren’t doing as well as we’d like in the first half but we improved in the second half. To do that we had to take risks at the back, the risk would have been worth it if we took one of our chances at the end.”
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- Analysis: Away struggles continue for Sunderland in Huddersfield defeat
- Michael Beale's reaction to Huddersfield defeat and Patrick Roberts injury
In that sense, there were some striking similarities between Sunderland’s trip to Huddersfield on Wednesday compared to their last visit to the John Smith’s Stadium back in early November 2022, some 15 months ago. Sunderland arrived higher in the Championship league table facing a side battling relegation in the early part of the season yet found life extremely difficult in the first half with their lack of an outright goal threat.
With Ross Stewart out and Ellis Simms only deemed fit enough for the bench by former head coach Mowbray, Sunderland laboured in a game, like this one, where it was felt three points were needed if they were to compete towards the top six in the table.
That night, however, Sunderland were able to turn to Simms who came off the bench at half-time to impact the game as Sunderland produced a slick second half performance to run out 2-0 winners. Only two of the players to start that night were in Beale’s starting line-up on Wednesday, which also highlights the upheaval that has taken place in such a relatively short space of time – that before you consider the change in the dugout as well.
Here, though, Sunderland didn’t have that presence to bring off the bench and turn the tide in their favour – something they have had to acclimatise to all season which may have attributed to their disappointing away record. After 16 games on the road so far this season, Sunderland have won just four times – their fourth win away from home last season, ironically, came in that 2-0 win over Huddersfield in November.
It was the backbone of Sunderland’s play-off push last season, with just six defeats away from home, accruing 39 points on their travels – the fourth best in the division. Where last season it was their form at the Stadium of Light which might have let them down, this time it is very much the opposite. Sunderland are currently 13th in the away league table having taken just 17 points but, perhaps more worryingly, they have scored just 16 times away from home. Only the bottom four and Queens Park Rangers have scored fewer on their travels.
To add further context here, in the last five seasons in the Championship, the teams who have finished in the top six have held an away record of no lower than ninth in the division. Last season Middlesbrough were ninth in the away league table but it was Coventry City who had the least amount of wins of the four teams who made the play-offs with seven. In 2019-20, Cardiff City were also ninth in the away table in a season where three of the four teams to reach the play-offs [Cardiff, Fulham and Swansea City] all won just eight times on the road. The season before, Derby County were ninth in the away table with seven wins.
What this shows then is that Sunderland, with seven away games remaining this season, are still a little way short of what is likely going to be required if they are to meet their top six aspirations. Within those seven away games still to come, Sunderland have to go to Norwich City, Southampton, Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion – four of the current top seven sides in the Championship. The remaining three are against Birmingham City – a side managed by former boss Mowbray and a side who have lost just three times at home this season, Cardiff and Watford on the penultimate weekend of the season.
Of recent seasons, Middlesbrough’s 29 points taken away from home last year and Derby’s 28 points amassed in 2018-19 are the lowest away points totals of teams to have reached the play-offs since Sheffield Wednesday’s 27 points in 2015-16 – a total which saw them 11th in the away league table. You then have to go back to the 2012-13 campaign to find a team who made the play-offs having accrued fewer points than the Owls’ 27 where both Leicester City and Crystal Palace reached the play-offs having each taken just 25 points on their travels.
That season it was Leicester who finished sixth with 68 points – one less than Sunderland’s points total last season - and the lowest number of points required to reach the top six in the Championship and Division One era. It would suggest that Leicester’s away form and points tally in 2012-13 is a relative anomaly in terms of reaching the play-offs, meaning Sunderland are likely going to need at least 10 points or more from the final 21 available away from home if they are to make the top six - all while maintaining their strong home form.
“I think there’s a difference between getting a point at Middlesbrough and losing tonight in terms of the away form. It [Middlesbrough] was a positive result. We went to Hull as well, but it’s right; before I came in we hadn’t won since September away from home. We’ve only won once which is not enough for a team of our aspirations,” Beale told We Are Sunderland.
“It puts real pressure on your home form which, of late, has been decent enough. We get another opportunity at Birmingham at the weekend. We need to brush this game aside. Teams can get promoted having won a few but certainly have lost a few [away from home] – every season the Championship is one of those leagues.
“It’s about mental resilience and stamina and we’re going to need to show it. With a young group it’s important we remain positive.”
But if Sunderland can’t come up with a solution to the problems they face against physical, imposing teams, as well as find a regular solution in the final third outside of Clarke on their travels, that away form is going to continue plaguing Beale and his side and may ultimately cost them another shot at promotion.
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