Sunderland End Tough Campaign With Defeat
A tough season for Sunderland ended in defeat after the final round of fixtures in the EFL Championship.
The Black Cats went into the game at the Stadium of Light with nothing to play for but pride, having dropped away from the play-off battle but also being safe from the threat of relegation in the middle of the table.
Visitors Sheffield Wednesday by contrast were one of four teams who could still join Huddersfield and Rotherham in being relegated to League One and knew only a win would guarantee their place in the division for another season.
That was reflected in the way the game started, with the visitors having the better of the chances and eventually hitting the front on the half-hour mark, with Liam Palmer able to beat ‘keeper Nathan Bishop with a shot from a tight angle.
Jack Clarke spurned a chance to equalise when his shot beat James Beadle but struck the woodwork, and Wednesday made the home side pay when they went 2-0 up thanks to Josh Windass before half-time.
Sunderland had chances to reduce the deficit in the second half but it would ultimately be in vain as the visitors secured the points they needed to stay up, with the Black Cats ending the campaign 16th in the table.
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