It was less than two months before that a heavy defeat against the same opposition resulted in the departure of Roy Keane as Sunderland manager.
Keane’s departure was a blow to a fanbase who had newfound
hope under the Irishman’s tenure, but in truth it appeared to be a tenure by fear and frustration rather than a harmonious stewardship.
Keane’s iron-fist approach was at odds with the tenure that followed in the form of Ricky Sbragia. Sbragia was an assistant to Keane, and his natural “softer” nature appeared to be getting a tune out of a squad of disenchanted footballers.
After a run of decent results that saw the team pick up wins against West Brom and Hull City and a draw with Blackburn Rovers, the team had steadied the ship somewhat.
A post-Christmas heavy defeat to Everton sparked fears of a return to some of the results that the team were getting at the end of the Keane era, with Sbragia speaking in the media ahead of the FA Cup clash on this day in 2009 that a response was needed.
Indeed a response is what he got as second-half goals from strike duo Kenwyne Jones and Djibril Cissé earned the team a 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light in a game that wouldn’t be remembered long after.
Described by the BBC as a “lifeless” first half, there was barely a chance created by either team although Wanderers defender Ricardo Gardner did have to clear off the line from El-Hadji Diouf’s corner which had caused panic in the box.
The second half was littered with mistakes too, but there was at least some goalmouth action as the home side earned themselves a two-goal lead with both goals coming from set-pieces.
In a moment of rare quality, Jones put the Black Cats in front when he headed home from a pinpoint centre by Kieran Richardson ten minutes after the half-time interval.
And with the momentum with the home side, Cissé added a second when he volleyed in acrobatically from a Carlos Edwards cross to solidify the team’s lead.
Much had been made about the relationship between the two strikers at this time, but things appeared to be rosy in the garden as they celebrated both goals together with their dance routine that had become common around that time.
Late on, Bolton pulled one back when substitute Ebi Smolarek’s effort deflected past Márton Fülöp to heap pressure on a vulnerable Sunderland side.
Despite the away side’s efforts – which included sending goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen forward – Sunderland held firm with midfielder Teemu Tainio particularly showing maturity near the end when things were looking quite uncertain.
The win entered Sunderland into the fourth-round draw, but Sbragia was particularly happy with the response to the 3-0 hammering that Everton had given his team only days earlier.
“I am delighted that after a bad performance at Everton we got back on track. It is great to go through.
“I was reminded yesterday we hadn’t qualified for the fourth round for three years. We changed it around a little bit and I felt that team we put out there could see us through it.
“I’m pleased with that and I’m pleased for the players.”
The win was a welcome one for Sunderland, though results wouldn’t significantly pick up under Sbragia’s tenure to keep us away from safety in the league, with a nervy ending to the season only seeing survival occur on the final day despite losing to Chelsea 3-2.
