
A point, very often during this tense last home game, was more than Sunderland deserved. When Phil Bardsley scored one of his occasional screamers, it looked – briefly – as if we might get the three to secure safety. Not to be. Pete Sixsmith – who summarises the outcome and/or performance of virtually every game with a seven-word verdict, followed by his considered Soapboax report – feared the worst at half time and wasn’t a great deal happier at the final whistle. So the season comes down to this: an improbable result at White Hart Lane or Arsenal avoiding defeat to Wigan before the Spurs game is reached. Wigan must surely be expected to offer Wembley-style heroics against either Arsenal or Villa or both…