Sunderland in goalless draw with Fulham

Feb 28, 2010 - 6:50 PM By MICK ROBERTS STATS European Football Writer=

LONDON (SE) - Steve Bruce admitted Sunderland's nightmare Premier League run is affecting their performances as the Black Cats have gone 14 games without a win in drawing 0-0 with Fulham.

Darren Bent had a first-half free-kick go close but after branding this fixture a 'must-win' game in his pre-match comments, Bruce and his side did little to suggest they were able to reverse their fortunes.

Sunderland are now just three points from the relegation zone after a opening quarter to the season which saw them considered possible European contenders.

Fulham were solid if not unspectacular but Roy Hodgson's men were perhaps undone by a gruelling run of eight games in the last 26 days \2013 which, to their credit, they have emerged from unbeaten.

Bruce said: "We just need that win because there is nervousness and edginess but we have to cope with that because there is no hiding place from it, we have to stick together and come through.

"We surrendered position too quickly, we were too direct and could not make the final pass and in the end it became very frustrating for us against what I must say is a very good Fulham team.

"If we are going to progress we need to keep the ball better but today everything we tried we could not pull it off.

"There is a huge level of expectation here and we have to deal with that."

More than 40,000 were packed into the Stadium of Light in the hope of seeing their side record their first league win since November but it was a drab opening which set the tone for the rest of the game.

Zoltan Gera and Bobby Zamora placed shots wide for the visitors to the ire of the home support who were also on the back of their own front players, Kenwyne Jones and Bent, showing little threat in the final third.

Bent's 25-yard free-kick was parried wide by Schwarzer but it proved the only shot on target for either side in an awful first 45 minutes that does not bode well for Sunderland's next three games \2013 all at home.

Little improved after the break, although Alan Hutton's fleet-footed run perhaps deserved more as the Scottish full-back was denied by Schwarzer but it was not enough to lift the mood on Wearside.

Damien Duff should have done better for Fulham as he dragged a shot wide but with ten minutes to go the home side all of sudden awoke and realised the severity of the situation.

Substitute Boudewijn Zenden hit the side-netting after beating Schwarzer with a clever left-footed effort, while the Dutchman also used his creative edge to set up Hutton but he shot wide.

In the closing stages Frazier Campbell controlled Hutton's cross top open up a goal-scoring chance but he blasted over with Sunderland, unsurprisingly, booed off at the end.

Fulham boss Hodgson said: "I am really proud of the players' performance, I thought we defended very well because we know how strong Sunderland are at home.

"It has been a month to remember but this has been our eight game in a very short month so I have had my fears.

"The top managers would laugh at me because they have to deal with this every season but it is a difficult situation for a club like Fulham.

"January was a bad month but February has been fantastic, we are back on track and this was an important point."