SO, Sunderland didn't need their best team out. Three missed the bus to Barnsley and still they went home three points to the good. Unbeaten in 11 now. Win or lose, Oakwell boss Simon Davey usually doesn't give away much either way. Saturday's 2-0 loss left him bigging up a Sunderland side that will probably steam-roller a path to the play-off semis and beyond. Davey's consolation was simple. "We lost to the best." And true, even minus striker Anthony Stokes, right-winger Tobia Hysen and keeper Marton Fulop (the trio who apparently can't tell 10 to from quarter past) Sunderland had too much in the tank for Barnsley. 1-0 better definitely, 2-0 flattered. And that wasn't the only slap in Barnsley faces. Ref Richard Beeby, who otherwise had a pretty decent afternoon, didn't whistle a clear penalty with the score still 0-0. Anyone who watched Middlesbrough-Man Utd FA Cup Match of the Day live on telly saw one given for less when Rob Styles ruled George Boateng had handled Rio Ferdinand's flick-on. Likewise Sunderland's Jonny Evans put his hands in front of his face as Brian Howard headed Sam Togwell's cross goalwards. It was as clear-cut a handball as they come. Barnsley's agony increased inside two minutes as Sunderland made it 1-0. Sub Daryl Murphy made a fine run from just inside the Barnsley half and, after feigning to shoot, he neatly found Grant Leadbitter, who blazed a low shot past keeper Nick Colgan into the bottom corner to send 8,000 or so travelling supporters into raptures and a handful on to the Oakwell pitch. It was one Colgan will know he might have done better with. Davey reflected: "I had a look at the penalty claim. I felt at the time that it's hit his hand and it was going towards the goal so you obviously appeal for a penalty, and they broke away and scored. "I'm disappointed but that happens in football. You have to react in the right way. "We chased the game and we put a bit of pressure in at the end, hoping that we'd get something, we didn't and they broke away and scored a second." Sunderland had piled pressure on well before the break, through. They were red-hot in the first half, pushed the ball around smartly, broke from every channel but just couldn't finish or work Colgan to breaking point. As it happened, the best of the chances before the break or the Sunderland breakthrough fell to Peter Rajczi. He was first to react to compatriot Istvan Ferenczi's neat knockdown, but he was only able to skew his close-range volley narrowly past keeper Darren Ward's right-hand post. Anything Barnsley did Sunderland did better. Their skipper, Dean Whitehead, was at the heart of every Sunderland attack, but after being played through by the bustling Stern John he was only able to scuff his shot past the onrushing Colgan and into the side-netting. Half-time came and Leadbitter's goal followed. Last Updated: 12 March 2007
