Mauled by Black Cats

City's disastrous December goes on.

Black Cats usually bring good luck. But there was none of that in Bryan Robson's case on his return to the north-east yesterday.

The storm clouds continue to gather over City and that had little to do with the rain which swirled over the closing stages of this one-sided Boxing Day bash.

Historically, the pre-match omens were good. Sunderland may have crashed 12 goals on their last three trips to West Yorkshire but the Black Cats had not troubled the scorers once in City's previous three visits here.

Current form, though, was a better barometer and did not make such happy reading. City arrived on Wearside on the back of four straight losses and had gone six hours without a goal.

Dean Windass was back with the captain's armband and orders from Bryan Robson to supply that fighting spirit that was lacking against Rotherham. Ben Muirhead also came in for his first start under the new boss in place of groin victim Nicky Summerbee.

Sunderland came out with the aim of steam-rollering City and Mark Paston saved from Tommy Smith's head inside the first minute.

City sat off John Oster inviting him to rap a shot which fortunately flew wide and Simon Francis produced a great tackle to halt Smith in the box after Marcus Stewart's pass had carved the defence open.

Having weathered the opening salvo, City won a flurry of corners, although the closest they came was an angled effort by Gareth Farrelly which crashed wide off right back Stephen Wright.

But the flow was chiefly towards the away goal with City sitting so deep you thought they might end up joining the fans banked behind Paston's goal. At times it was almost a 9-0-1 formation with Michael Branch the only blue shirt not camped behind the ball.

City survived a real scare after 17 minutes after Smith burst past Peter Atherton on the right byline. His low cross was diverted goalwards by Wright but Paston made a brilliant reaction save and Stewart, following in at the far post, could only run the rebound into the side-netting.

Jim Whitley was inches away from Smith's cross, Smith looped a header over and Oster bombed into the box but was unable to connect with Stewart's inviting return ball.

Then Smith cut past Simon Francis and smacked a 20-yarder against Paston's right post with the keeper beaten.

Sunderland have struggled to put teams away at the Stadium of Light this season and the frustrated home fans sensed that City were going to prove another tough nut to crack. City were foraging for scraps on the break, hoping that the pace of Muirhead could catch the Black Cats pushing too many men forward.

City were gifted a chance on the half hour when Mart Poom fluffed his clearance straight to Windass. Play switched to Gray, filling the problem position on the left flank, and his dangerous cross along the six-yard box was anxiously whacked behind by Sunderland skipper George McCartney.

The corner by Windass was flicked on by Gray and just beyond Jason Gavin as he charged in.

But they were isolated incidents and Sunderland came again as Oster cleverly stepped over Jason McAteer's pass which ran to Smith to drive over.

City could only live on their nerves for so long and a minute before the break Sunderland finally broke through.

Wright lost control as he ran towards the angle of the penalty area but as the ball ran away from him, McAteer appeared with a sweeping right footer which looped beyond Paston and into the roof of the net.

It was his first goal of the season and no more than the Black Cats deserved for their dominance. The question now was how could City break out of their defensive shell and conjure some kind of response?

McCartney gave them an inkling of a chance three minutes in with a poor back-header from Paul Heckingbottom's long clearance but Poom just beat Muirhead in a race for the loose ball.

The fans were trying to do their bit but the proper chances were still falling at the far end where Oster should have done much better with his final shot after another neat run went unchecked.

Then Windass sold Gavin short inside the City half. Substitute Kevin Kyle grabbed possession and worked an opening with Stewart but produced a weak toe poke at the end of it.

Suddenly City burst into life on the hour with two genuine openings in the space of 30 seconds. First Muirhead charged through only for Poom to block at his feet and then after Tom Kearney's pass had got Branch ahead of Joachim Bjorklund, the Sunderland keeper repeated the trick to frustrate the centre-forward.

At last there was a welcome zip about City as Robson threw on Michael Standing in midfield for Muirhead.

But just as the travelling supporters sensed a possible escape route, the door was slammed firmly shut by a second Sunderland goal at the midway point of the second half.

Kyle created it with a knock-down for Smith and despite the combined attentions of the lunging Gavin and Heckingbottom, his shot squeezed across Paston with the aid of a deflection.

City kept chasing the game but there was not enough quality to spark a fightback. Michael Proctor got a chance with ten minutes to go and for the second time this season received a standing ovation from City supporters. He had only been on the pitch for 30 seconds when Sunderland were celebrating a third as Kyle rose virtually unchallenged to nod home a corner by Oster.

It seemed that the day could not get any worse for City, but from the re-start Francis clashed with Whitley and went down pole-axed. He was helped away after a couple of minutes, clearly in a lot of pain.

Sunderland showed little sympathy and Kyle bounced a header off the bar.

It's the most wonderful time of the year according to the music that greeted the final whistle. Try telling that to anyone in claret and amber.