If anyone on Wearside was getting carried away with the idea of a play-off challenge, the last week has been something of a reality check. Eight days ago, with 92 minutes on the clock at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland were preparing to celebrate victory against Bristol City and moving up to fourth place in the table.
A rash foul led to a penalty, led to an equaliser, and the Black Cats' momentum was checked and they stayed fifth. A shock defeat at relegation strugglers Rotherham in midweek did more damage, as Sunderland dropped out of the play-off spots and down to eighth, albeit only a point outside the top six.
And yesterday's 2-1 reverse at Coventry City made it back-to-back defeats, with Sunderland slipping to ninth, and the gap between themselves and the play-off spots has widened to four points. Given their recent form, one point from a possible nine is a very disappointing return.
READ MORE: Tony Mowbray bemoans Sunderland's lack of strikers following defeat at Coventry City
Very disappointing, yes; but it should not necessarily have come as a surprise. Tony Mowbray has been warning for weeks that fatigue would catch up with his players at some point, and - despite introducing some limited element of squad rotation in an attempt to counter its effects - he has been proved right.
Throughout February, Sunderland have played Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday, but that last week has been a bridge too far with the form of key players dipping ever so slightly, but just enough to tip the balance. The next fortnight, which sees Sunderland with a full week between the trip to Coventry and Saturday's game at home to Stoke, and then eight days before the away game at Norwich City, will come as a much-needed breath of fresh air.
If results over the last week have been a reality check, it may be no bad thing. On their first season back in the Championship, Sunderland have thrived this season in the knowledge that there was no expectation on them to win instant promotion or qualify for the play-offs.
It was all about re-establishing themselves in the second tier after a four-year absence, and giving themselves a platform on which to build. And, despite injuries taking a heavy toll - not least in depriving them of star striker Ross Stewart for three-quarters of the season, and captain Corry Evans for the final third of the campaign - up to this point they have outperformed the expectations of all-but the most optimistic.
One bad week does not spell the end of their season, either. They are still firmly amongst the chasing pack and, short of their form falling off a cliff, they are likely to remain in the play-off picture until deep into the run-in - the longer, the better.
Like Sunderland, Coventry will feel they are in with a chance. The Sky Blues' win lifted them to 11th in the table, and to within a point of the Black Cats.
Sunderland enjoyed more than 70 percent of the possession at the CBS Arena but Mowbray said after the game that his side just lacked the striker that would have made the difference on the day. That was not to disparage the talents of Joe Gelhardt, but the on-loan Leeds United youngster found it tough going against Coventry's back line.
Mowbray merely making the point that had he been able to call upon the more experienced Stewart, or a powerhouse frontman such as Coventry's man of the match Viktor Gyokeres, it would have been a very different game. As it was, it might still have been a very different game had Danny Batth's early header dropped under the crossbar rather than coming back off the woodwork.
Or had referee Dean Whitestone, whose dreadful display infuriated both managers, awarded what Mowbray called a 'stick-on' penalty when Patrick Roberts went down in the box. Instead, Whitestone chose to ignore Sunderland's appeals for either of two fouls in the build-up to Jamie Allen's opening goal just after the midway point in the first half, with Gyokeres the provider.
Gyokeres then added Coventry's second in the 89th minute, before Amad's stunning finish in injury-time picked out the top left-hand corner for what turned out to be nothing more than a consolation goal. It has been a tough week for Sunderland, but such bumps in the road were only to be expected.
READ NEXT:
- Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray explains Dennis Cirkin's absence at Coventry City
- Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray vents his frustration as referee 'leaves his whistle at home'
- 'Easy on the eye' Sunderland are 'one of the best teams' Coventry have played says Mark Robins
- Amad and Dan Neil impress despite Sunderland's defeat at Coventry City
- Sunderland slip to second away defeat in a week as Coventry City punish their mistakes
