When Tony Mowbray discussses his players, he talks of soldiers and artists. And if Wednesday's resounding win at Reading was a day when artistic flair came to the fore, yesterday's hard-earned draw at Watford saw the soldiers on parade.
Last season there were two divisions between the sides, with Sunderland in League One and the Hornets competing in the Premier League, and both teams have retained the majority of their players. Watford started the season as one of the favourites for promotion while, outside the North East at any rate, Sunderland's return to the Championship was expected to be a season of consolidation.
But Sunderland's fighting qualities enabled them to bridge the gap at Vicarage Road, twice battling back from a goal down to take a deserved point. And it spoke volumes that at full-time Watford boss Rob Edwards was left to reflect on his 'frustration' at letting a lead slip which meant his side had now won just one of its last seven games, while Mowbray's disappointment was confined to the missed chances and which might have seen Sunderland claim back-to-back wins on the road.
READ MORE: Goal hero Jewison Bennette's Sunderland switch is an 'amazing story', says Tony Mowbray
Over the 90 minutes, Sunderland had to find a way to cope with a significant size and strength deficit - at times the game resembled an episode of Land of the Giants, with Watford's 6ft-plus outfielders William Troost-Ekong, Kortney Hause, Craig Cathcart, Keinan Davis, and Yaser Asprilla, towering over the likes of Alex Pritchard, Elliot Embleton, Patrick Roberts, Lynden Gooch, and Luke O'Nien. They also had to cope without a centre-forward, with Ellis Simms missing out with the toe injury he suffered at Reading, meaning Pritchard had to reprise the false nine role he played to such good effect in midweek.
But what Sunderland lacked in strikers and physique they made up for in speed, mobility, and workrate. And one quality they showed in abundance was character.
When Davis put Watford in front ten minutes before the break, Sunderland dug in and got their reward on the stroke of half-time when Pritchard's low cross found Jack Clarke and, as he tussled with Cathcart, Aji Alese took over to fire the ball goalwards. Hamza Choudhury was on the line to clear, but the goalline technology said his efforts were in vain and the ball had crossed the line.
The hosts dominated the opening stages of the second half and went back in front when a free-kick was headed back across goal, and O'Nien - who began his career at Watford - lost his bearings and headed into his own net. But Sunderland refused to give in and, after Clarke saw a goal disallowed for offside and sub Leon Dajaku missed a gilt-edged chance, Jewison Bennette came off the bench to score the equaliser a couple of minutes from time in front of the packed away end.
The teenage Costa Rica international was something of a wildcard when he joined Sunderland at the end of last month, with no-one knowing quite what he would bring, how he would adapt to English football, nor how he would settle on the other side of the Atlantic. However, it has taken him just two outings as a substitute totalling less than half-an-hour to score his first goal, and a crucial goal at that.
He is definitely more artist than soldier, but the performances of Danny Batth, Alese, Corry Evans, and the rest set the stage for him. Bennette was not the only one of the last-August intake on show at Watford.
On-loan Manchester United man Amad Diallo injected some attacking impetus when he came off the bench - and also provided a moment of unintended comedy as he celebrated Clarke's disallowed 'goal' in front of the away end before being pointed in the direction of the linesman's flag, and sinking to his knees - while French midfielder Abdoullah Ba was handed his debut late in the game. The draw means Sunderland go into the international break sitting fifth in the table with 15 points from their opening ten games.
Mowbray and his men will be quite happy with that.
READ NEXT:
- Watford boss Rob Edwards left 'frustrated' as Sunderland twice come from behind to claim a point
- Tony Mowbray's verdict after Sunderland's draw at Watford caps a productive week on the road
- Bennette, Clarke and Roberts star as Sunderland earn a 2-2 draw at Watford
- Watford 2-2 Sunderland report as Jewison Bennette strikes late to earn Sunderland a point
- Sunderland's Tony Mowbray on playing 'football-savvy' Alex Pritchard as a false nine
