Home sweet home as Gordon backs Black Cats to win relegation battle
Last Sunday’s 1-0 defeat by Everton was the Black Cats’ first in the league at the Stadium of Light in five matches since Manchester United’s Stephen’s Day masterclass.
With just three of their 27 points to date having come on the road, Sunderland know their remaining home games represent the best chance to secure top-flight status.
West Ham, Manchester City and Middlesbrough have yet to arrive on Wearside but it is tomorrow’s visit of Chelsea and the final-day clash with Arsenal which present the biggest tests.
Avram Grant’s side took the edge off their FA Cup quarter-final humiliation at the hands of Coca-Cola Championship Barnsley by thrashing whipping boys Derby 6-1 on Wednesday, and the Black Cats will hope the full force of the backlash has eased by the weekend.
But Keane’s men have discovered a resilience at the back in recent weeks and while goals at the other end have become an increasingly rare commodity, Gordon and his defensive colleagues will hope they can provide the foundation for another shock result.
Asked about the collective unity in the back five, the Scotland international said: “That’s getting there every week we play together.
“The clean sheets have been coming at home and hopefully we can keep that going — and if we do it is a great basis for us going on to win games.”
It is perhaps a measure of Sunderland’s new-found defensive solidity that Everton, who smashed seven past them at Goodison Park on November 24, were made to work much harder for the points in the north east last weekend.
Gordon, a British record £9million (€11.7m) signing for a goalkeeper, was taken out of the firing line after that debacle as Keane gave him a chance to gather himself and reflect on a tough first few months in English football.
He returned after three matches and has been a fixture ever since, keeping four clean.
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