Dick Advocaat almost smiled. Almost. Being head coach of Sunderland is a form of torture that few recover from and last night brought another spell on the rack, the Dutchman’s team finally progressing beyond Exeter City, of Sky Bet League Two, after a performance that bounced between extremes by way of pandemonium. If nothing else, this season is already proving profitable for chaos.
At his press conference on Monday, Advocaat arrived with a sheet of paper that read, “Niet Lachen”, Dutch for “do not laugh”. Tensions run deep at the Stadium of Light, where summer has not brought huge improvements to a mediocre squad and there are concerns that Advocaat may not hang around much beyond the end of the transfer window if more signings do not materialise. In four games, Sunderland have already conceded 11 goals.
Stability has long been elusive on Wearside and this extraordinary match did nothing to encourage it. Ridiculousness reigned, Exeter recovering from 2-0 and 3-2 down to equalise twice before Sunderland, who had defended like novices, stretched away in the second half, with Jermain Defoe plundering a hat-trick amid the nonsense. Defoe has five goals so far, which surely precludes his sale.
Whether or not a first victory alters the dynamics at Sunderland is debatable, but after heavy losses to Leicester City and Norwich City and a draw with Swansea City, at least they mustered one. “I’m happy with the six goals, I’m totally unhappy with the way we gave goals away,” Advocaat said. “We have to improve. I’m wondering whether it’s concentration or sharpness. It’s a worry and it’s not the first time.”
Paul Tisdale’s side, playing their sixth game in 17 days and already stretched by fatigue, were magnificent, roared on by the 500 supporters who made the 720-mile round trip. The surface suited their football and they played it, maintaining their composure when they fell behind and trusting themselves and each other.
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“It’s bittersweet,” Tisdale said. “I’m proud of the way we played, even if we ran out of legs. I’m a little disappointed we’ve let them off the hook.”
Freed from their harrowing start in the Barclays Premier League, Sunderland began with adventure, marred by haplessness at the back. By the 15th minute, they were two goals to the good, Jack Rodwell scoring from the rebound after Danny Graham’s effort was blocked by Troy Brown and then Rodwell chipping the ball on to Defoe, who lobbed it around Bobby Olejnik, the goalkeeper, before lashing it in.
Half-time brought a necessary opportunity to draw breath, because by then Tisdale’s team had restored parity, lost it and then drawn level again. Both Sunderland centre halves were at fault, initially when Emmanuel Oyeleke collected a diagonal ball from Danny Butterfield and swept around Sebastian Coates before notching his first goal for the club since his free transfer from Woking.
The second was little better, John O’Shea, the Sunderland captain, allowing David Wheeler to clamber above him to covert Lee Holmes’s cross from the left and on every occasion that Exeter broke forward they carried peril with them.
Holmes and Wheeler were involved in their third, a cross and a header respectively, allowing Tom McCready, who was unmarked, to score from close range.
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Thankfully for Sunderland, Defoe saved them from humiliation and he snaffled a pass into the box from Lee Cattermole before finishing. Redemption came, Rodwell claiming his second when he nodded in Sebastian Larsson’s corner, and then Duncan Watmore, the substitute, nicking the ball from Olejnik’s hands to score. In the 87th minute, Defoe clipped in Larsson’s cross.
“We’d like to come and do it again,” Tisdale said, but Advocaat would not agree to that; wins are too rare in these parts. He is not laughing yet. “I never had the feeling they would beat us, but I’m still concerned about defensively how we give chances away,” he said.
Sunderland (4-3-3): C Pantilimon — A Matthews (sub: L Gooch, 58min), S Coates, J O’Shea, P van Aanholt — Y M’Vila, L Cattermole, J Rodwell — S Larsson, D Graham (sub: S Fletcher, 45; D Watmore, 54), J Defoe. Substitutes not used: M Stryjek, W Brown, E Giaccherini, J Robson.
Exeter City (4-3-3): B Olejnik — A Davies, T Brown, J Tillson, J McAllister — D Wheeler (sub: W Hoskins, 75), D Butterfield, E Oyeleke — D Noble (sub: C Morrison, 67), L Holmes (sub: J Grant, 74), T McCready. Substitutes not used: J Hamon, C Woodman, M Oakley, A Nicholls.
Referee: S Attwell.