Ex-Sunderland owner spotted at Bristol City match plus former West Ham coach speaks with Cats defender

Sunderland were held to a goalless draw by Bristol City at the Stadium of Light, with the weather proving it difficult for both teams.

The hosts had the better chances in the first half, and opposing goalkeeper Max O’Leary produced some spectacular saves. After the break, Black Cats substitute Bradley Dack came close to scoring when he headed Trai Hume’s cross against the crossbar. Here are some of the moments you could have missed:
Sunderland were held to a goalless draw by Bristol City at the Stadium of Light, with the weather proving it difficult for both teams.

The hosts had the better chances in the first half, and opposing goalkeeper Max O’Leary produced some spectacular saves. After the break, Black Cats substitute Bradley Dack came close to scoring when he headed Trai Hume’s cross against the crossbar. Here are some of the moments you could have missed:
O’Leary was instrumental in keeping the visitors level at halftime, making a great stop to deny Dan Ballard’s header following a corner. Speaking on Bristol City’s website after the game, O’Leary said: “Wind is probably the worst one; I think any player will play in anything, but wind is pretty tricky.” They turned us around, and we had to weather the storm, as you would say. We dealt with it and started experimenting with more of the features we wanted to incorporate.”
Former owner of Sunderland was in attendance.

Sir Bob Murray, the former owner of Sunderland, attended the match at the Stadium of Light. Murray became the club’s chairman in 1986 and served for more than 20 years. The 77-year-old published his memoirs, ‘I’d do it again,’ at the end of last year. All earnings from book sales have gone to the Foundation of Light.

O’Nien reacts to vital block.
While Sunderland dominated the first half, they nearly fell behind at halftime. O’Nien was in a good position on the line to block Mark Sykes’ close-range effort. The Black Cats captain clenched his fists, as if he had just scored a goal.

Bristol City Forced to Change Plans
The Bristol City squad had planned to fly back to Bristol from Newcastle Airport, but due to heavy winds, their flight was cancelled. As a result, the Robins had to rearrange their plans and return to the South West via coach.

“Our flight home has been cancelled,” Bristol City manager Liam Manning stated after the game. “It’s the wind, apparently; it’s bad up here, and it’s also bad in Bristol.” We found out as a club at halftime, but I didn’t until after the last whistle.

“We’ll have to go by coach now, which will add nearly five hours to our journey home. I suppose I’ll spend the time watching the game again. This is how sad I am. I’ll put it on my laptop, watch it later, and then use part of it in training next week.”

Aji Alese speaks with former West Ham boss
Sunderland benefited greatly from Aji Alese’s comeback from injury, as the defender made his first senior matches since January. The 23-year-old came on in the 66th minute and spoke briefly with Bristol City manager Manning, who previously trained Alese when guiding West Ham’s development team, following the game. “He was my 21s coach at West Ham from 2017 to 2018,” Alese stated. “I had a little conversation with him after the game. He just stated he was glad to see me doing well and encouraged me to keep going.

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