'Just remember what happened at Portsmouth' - How Blues nightmare helped Sunderland overcome Cambridge United

Lee Johnson’s side were put to the sword at a sodden Fratton Park in October, and encountered similar conditions this weekend at the Abbey Stadium.

Pompey hit the Roker Men with a first half onslaught of goals as Marcus Harness, Lee Brown, and John Marquis gave Danny Cowley’s side a dominant lead at half-time.

The visitors then couldn’t conjure the energy or spirit to spark a comeback, as the former Doncaster forward secured three points with his second strike 15 minutes after the re-start.

But in Cambridgeshire, the north east club weren’t deterred by the harsh environment and secured their second win in six league matches against Mark Bonner’s side.

Goals from Alex Pritchard and Nathan Broadhead saw the 2014 League Cup finalists overcome torrential rain and winds to record a success that has eased the pressure on Johnson.

And the Australia international described how he and his colleagues used the pain of defeat against Pompey to overcome the U’s.

Speaking to the Sunderland Echo he said: ‘Yeah of course (we learnt from the Pompey game). We didn’t play the conditions then which we’ve learnt from.

‘We have had those conversations, saying “lads just remember what happened at Portsmouth”, in slightly different conditions but it was tricky to play football.’

The former Bristol City defender played the entirety of the Black Cats’ defeat to the Blues and has been an ever-present at the Stadium of Light.

And he was quick to explain how the members of the Sunderland squad are looking out for each other on the field despite their indifferent form.

He continued: ‘You just have to do what it takes and we did. It was a bit unpredictable but you know your mate has got your back, I’ve got his back and you just deal with whatever happens.

‘There are times when it is unpredictable, which is the same for both teams. It’s not ideal but you just have to learn with conditions like this.’

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