Sunderland head coach Michael Beale is calling for his players to show more of a cutting edge after his side drew 1-1 at Championship strugglers Rotherham.
Jack Clarke’s deflected effort earned a point for the visitors and cancelled out Sam Clucas’ thunderbolt volley.
The result against the division’s bottom side saw Sunderland slip out of the play-off places.
Beale said: “We had to have a real, honest conversation at half-time because we did not really execute our gameplan. In the first half we were slow getting started.
“Other teams have come here and found it difficult. Not just ourselves.
“We started the second half in the worst possible way. But I was really pleased with our reaction.
“I want us to be less fussy and spiteful in the final third. There has to be an end product from our possession.
“We were due the luck with the deflection, over the last three games.
“There is a frustration going away. We have to recover and go again.”
Rotherham certainly enjoyed the better of a goalless first half and took the lead early in the second half.
Clucas dispatched an unstoppable 48th-minute effort after running on to Pierre Ekwah’s cleared header.
Sunderland equalised in the 72nd minute through dangerman Clarke, whose effort took a huge deflection on its way past Viktor Johansson after Rotherham could only partially clear Alex Pritchard’s cross.
The visitors piled on the pressure in search of the winner but the hosts could well have stolen the points themselves deep into stoppage time when Tom Eaves headed wide from Cafu’s cross.
The Millers have taken four points from post-Christmas matches at home to Middlesbrough and Sunderland, leaving head coach Leam Richardson satisfied.
“I think the level of effort and commitment was there,” he said.
“We probably played better than we did in the previous game (the 1-0 win over Middlesbrough).
“(Clucas’) goal was worthy of winning any game. His performance deserved the goal as well. He and Christ (Tiehi) were asked to do many jobs and they did them very well.
“Credit again goes to the players. I thought we were worthy of a positive result. Certainly in the first half we were in the ascendancy.
“We are still quite new to each other. We are not blessed with what we have available.
“I demand a minimum level of something. The players know that. We have certainly had that in the four games I’ve been here.
“I thought there was a game there to be possibly won.”
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