Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has told his players to focus on the big picture after suffering the frustration of a fifth successive Sky Bet Championship draw.
The Black Cats sit two points behind new leaders Sheffield United, who they face on Friday night, after being held to a 0-0 stalemate by West Brom at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday evening despite dominating throughout.
However, Le Bris said: “It’s a tight league and long, so I think this is a part of the experience of this team. We started this season, we had expectations in the dressing room and probably everywhere with the fans as well.
“But the reality is the team was 16th last year and now we are in the top half of the table and 10 games unbeaten, so it means that something has happened. It’s a long league and resilience is very important and the learning curve, I think, is still positive.
“The difference between a win and a loss is still very subtle, but 10 games means as well that we are consistent, It’s a good sign for the future, I think.”
The Black Cats will head for Bramall Lane without a win since October 26, although they might have ended their winless run against Albion had Wilson Isidor not strayed marginally offside as he dispatched Luke O’Nien’s second-half cross, or had Baggies skipper Alex Mowatt not managed to block Chris Rigg’s attempt with 21 minutes remaining.
However, they could equally have lost it at the death had Dan Ballard not made it back on to the line to repel substitute Lewis Dobbin’s shot as the Baggies threatened to snatch victory.
For Carlos Corberan’s men, the stalemate on Wearside was an eighth draw in nine attempts and one which helped them retain their place in the top six on goal difference despite the absence of four key defenders through injury and suspension.
Corberan, who lost Ousmane Diakite during the warm-up and was forced to start Kyle Bartley having been told he was only fit enough to play 15-20 minutes on his return, said: “I can understand that one thing is the stats of the game – in the stats of the game, Sunderland were much better than us, they deserved to win today without any doubt.
“But I loved the mentality and resilience of my players because in a difficult situation, they have competed at the level we can compete.”
Meanwhile, Corberan played down speculation linking him with the vacant manager’s job at Premier League Leicester.
He said: “I can only say how focused I am on West Brom, how much pride I feel to be the coach of this amazing club.
“I understand that football always has speculation, but I didn’t even know the Leicester coach was sacked until last night.”
