Twice ahead, thanks to Steven Fletcher on each occasion, we slipped back into the bad old ways of defending far too deep, invited the inevitable and saw it happen. Even after the equaliser, indeed even after Swansea went down to 10 men, Sunderland lived dangerously That assessment relied on the trusty BBC Radio Newcastle duo of Nick Barnes and Gary Bennett, both of whom felt Swansea fully deserved at least a point. But Sixer’s Sevens draws on what a Sunderland supporter sees from the stands.

That fan is almost always Pete Sixsmith and is intended to capture the glory and shame, hope and despair, excitement and ennui of the Sunderland matchday experience. The full archive – see link below – sums up what all Sunderland supporters feel, from darkest gloom to sublime elation, in the words of one who is usually there. On those rare occasions when he is not – which included today, or when his own verdict is delayed, the seven-word assessment is preceded by an asterisk to denote his absence. Thanks to John Marshall, a SAFC fan in Bristol, for standing in at the Liberty Stadium …
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