One Sunderland star has been told he was ‘a little fortunate’ not to be shown a red card yesterday.
Sunderland took one big step backwards this weekend after picking up five clean sheets in six games, whilst also going unbeaten against Leeds United and West Brom.
The Black Cats dominated possession as they hosted Millwall yesterday afternoon, but were unable to find the back of the net and were eventually punished.
It only took The Lions one shot on target to take the lead, with Duncan Watmore claiming all three points and securing their Championship status for next season.
Sunderland’s defence went relatively undisturbed for most of the 90 minutes, though probably saw most of the ball as they looked to pass it out from the back, while backwards passes also became a popular option on a dull day at the Stadium of Light.
Luke O’Nien and Dan Ballard both had the most touches out of anyone on the pitch, though both have been fairly solid in recent weeks.
It was the latter that failed to get to the ball before Watmore tucked it away in the second half though, while he also got into a spot of ‘bother’ towards the end of the match.
Dan Ballard came close to a sending off
Ballard had had a rather quiet afternoon defensively before he was pushed to the ground by Millwall’s Zian Flemming only minutes from full-time. The centre-back was awarded a free-kick but still didn’t take it too well, pushing Flemming to the floor himself and starting a big scuffle near the dugouts.
The pair were both eventually booked, however journalist Phil Smith has admitted that Ballard was ‘fortunate not to get into real bother’.
Writing for the Sunderland Echo, he said: “Defended really well in the opening exchanges and was dominant in the air but couldn’t get across Watmore in time to deny him the winner.
“Missed Sunderland’s best chance in the first half and a little fortunate not to get into real bother after an off-the-ball incident with Zian Flemming.”
The defender has been the centre of attention in recent games
This was the second time Dan Ballard could have been shown a red card in only three games, after having been ‘lucky to stay on the pitch’ against Leeds United last week.
The 24-year-old came close to being shown a second yellow after a series of fouls, while he almost gave away a penalty too.
Given the abuse he was getting against West Brom, Ballard has had a chaotic few games for Sunderland.
The defender probably should have at least got his header on target yesterday too, and it almost feels like his mind is somewhere else.
He has still mostly defended very well though, but I think I prefer the Dan Ballard that keeps to himself and gets the job done.