Lee Burge: 6/10
Enjoyed another quiet afternoon in goal. His kicking was wayward, but that’s hardly a great concern if he keeps picking up clean sheets with ease.
Jordan Willis: 6/10
Hard to remember Willis doing much before his first half injury. His injury did come when he was intercepting a dangerous looking Swindon attack.
Bailey Wright: 8/10
Another commanding performance. One of his best aerial displays for Sunderland, his passing was excellent as per usual. He held together a makeshift back four brilliantly.
Conor McLaughlin: 7/10
Improved after a move to centre back, but looked uncomfortable and unsure of himself at the start. His passing and composure got much better as the game wore on after an understandably slow start.
Luke O’Nien: 7/10
One of the more bizarre aspects of the game was just how quiet O’Nien was. Our versatile energiser bunny was more cautious in an unfamiliar role, and didn’t dominate proceedings as he can do in a more box-to-box role. He did impress taking free kicks with his swinger.
Grant Leadbitter: 8/10
Continued his excellent season with a assured performance in midfield. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Leadbitter’s performance was his vision and willingness to look for midfield runners in behind.
Josh Scowen: 6/10
Real mixed bag from Scowen. At times he was our most dangerous attacker making great runs in behind, but there also large swathes of the game where he struggled to link up with his teammates and conceded possession cheaply.
Max Power: 7/10
Showcased a surprisingly natural chemistry with Lynden Gooch on the left. His link up play and energy pressing was first class. My only real gripe with our skipper’s performance was his reluctance to trust his left foot in attacking positions.
Lynden Gooch: 7/10
Put in an absolute peach of a cross for Charlie Wyke’s opener. Gooch played with great maturity finding a natural balance between rushing forward and keeping things simple in his own half, while playing out of position as a wing back.
Chris Maguire: 7/10
Pressed well in a teamwide effort to stop Swindon playing out in the first half. Maguire was once again a difference maker in the second period, winning and scoring from the spot.
Charlie Wyke: 7/10
That’s more like it! Showcased ice-cold composure to cushion in from close range, (even if the hosts’ communication breakdown gave him all the time in the world), and did a much better job shielding possession and bringing others into play.
(SUB) Jack Diamond: 5/10
Another who didn’t get to grips with the game quickly and was guilty of being indecisive on a few occasions. Didn’t play with the fearlessness we’ve seen in the EFL Trophy.
(SUB) Aiden O’Brien: N/A
Came on to kill time just before injury time.
Man of the Match
Grant Leadbitter