The Black Cats held a two-goal advantage at the break thanks to goals from Wilson Isidor and Dennis Cirkin, but Haji Wright and Jack Rudoni levelled the score in the second half. Le Bris had been forced into a double change at 2-1 when both Alan Browne and Romaine Mundle picked up injuries, though Browne did try briefly to play on.
Rather than look to like-for-like replacements such as Milan Aleksic and Tommy Watston, Le Bris changed shape by introducing Dan Ballard and then moving Wilson Isidor out to the left. Le Bris said it was easy to reflect in hindsight but felt the logic behind the calls was sound.
“For the young players, we felt on the bench it wasn’t the best time for them,” he said.
“We talked together, and Ballard is a really important, really experienced player—and this was our first choice. They played direct; it was clear that we would face a lot of crosses and direct play. We felt it was a good option.
“At the same time, it was a corner kick against, and we had two players less, so we did not have long to make a decision. I’ve no regrets about this.”
Le Bris said it was too early to know the extent of Browne and Mundle’s injuries, but he is already facing a significant dilemma for the first fixture back after the international break. Sunderland will travel to Millwall with Trai Hume, Patrick Roberts, and Jobe Bellingham all suspended.
Le Bris looks likely to be forced into a change of formation.
“I don’t know at the minute,” Le Bris said.
“We’ll see; we’ll find a solution for sure. We’ll have to find another set up, but we have two weeks to think about, and I think the squad is ready to compete to find another solution. It’s a long league, and we have to build the depth of the squad, and we have two weeks to prepare them for the challenge.”
