League One round-up: Sunderland injury blow ahead of Portsmouth clash | Gillingham boss accuses assistant referee of 'looking at shopping list'

Charlie Wyke and Chris Maguire were on target either side of half-time at the County Ground.

However, the Black Cats suffered an injury blow ahead of Pompey's trip to the Stadium of Light this Saturday. Centre-back Jordan Willis limped off with a foot injury and had to undergo a scan.

In addition, defenders Denver Hulme, Arbenit Xhemajli and Morgan Feeney were also absent while Tom Flanagan was serving the first of a three-match suspension.

But Parkinson was delighted his side overcame those setbacks to pick up three points against the Robins.

He told the Sunderland Echo: ‘It was a great win for us. We had to make changes and then we've lost Jordan, so we could easily be stood here making excuses.

‘But the lads stuck to the task brilliantly.

‘The first half we controlled, the second half they came out and were always going to have that lift of energy.

‘We withstood it, got the second goal and deservedly got the win,” he added.

‘I thought the work ethic was outstanding today. That starts with the front two, Charlie and Chrissy both got a goal but it's about more than that, it’s about closing down and they laid a great platform for us.’

Ipswich remain top of the table after a 2-0 win over Accrington Stanley.

In-form Gwion Edwards and Freddie Sears both bagged for the Tractor Boys.

Paul Lambert had no recognised strikers available for the game, however. Ex-Pompey man Oli Hawkins, James Norwood and Aaron Drinan were injured, while Kayden Jackson was sent for a Covid-19 test.

And Lambert felt his troops' victory was 'incredible'.

He told the East Anglian Daily Times: ‘Considering we had no strikers, it’s an incredible win. That’s the first time I think I’ve played without a striker.

‘At half-time we said ‘don’t worry about how you are playing, just move the ball, pass it and move, take the ball, and everything else will start to open up’.

‘Accrington were strong in the first half, which we knew they would be. It was just a matter of being patient.’

Promotion-hopefuls Peterborough piled more misery on last season's beaten play-off finalists Oxford.

Goals from Joe Ward and Siriki Dembele secured the Posh a 2-0 win at London Road.

As a result, it leaves the U's rooted to the bottom of the table, having picked up just three points from their opening five games.

Peterborough sit fourth in the table but boss Darren Ferguson reckons they will continue to get better as the season goes on.

He said: ‘There was a lot to enjoy about the performance, but there is also a lot for us to work on.

‘We are nowhere near the standards we are capable of reaching, but the most important thing for any game is to win it. We can pick the bones out of it later.

‘The mentality of the squad is very impressive, though. It’s another clean sheet and we scored two great goals with a composed finish from Joe and an excellent strike by Siriki after a good pass from Joe.’

Pompey travel to Gillingham on Tuesday evening and both sides are looking to bounce backs from defeats.

The Gills lost 2-0 away at MK Dons, which was their first win of the season courtesy of goals from Cameron Jerome and Carlton Morris.

Gillingham chief Steve Evans felt his side deserved a clear-cut penalty when they were a goal down.

But the Scot accused the assistant referee of 'looking at his shopping list' rather than being able to help out the referee.

Evans told the Kent Messenger: ‘We were second best all over the pitch

‘We knew what to expect and when they bring Cameron Jerome in to play as a two (up top) you know what you are going to get, they have two experienced Championship strikers, they are going to cause you problems.

‘They passed it and moved it better than we did. Goals always change games, we gave a goal away, we missed two easy chances and we had the clearest penalty ever seen not given.

‘Their manager acknowledged it to me, it was a game-changer, instead of being 1-1 at half time it’s 1-0 and the next goal becomes crucial.

‘The referee looked at his assistant referee for clear guidance. I can only assume he (the assistant) was looking at his shopping list, maybe his Christmas list, he wasn’t focused. If he was focused there was only one decision.’

Other results

AFC Wimbledon 0-1 Shrewsbury, Bristol Rovers 1-1 Burton, Charlton 1-0 Wigan, Crewe 1-1 Blackpool, Fleetwood 0-0 Lincoln, Plymouth 2-1 Northampton, Rochdale 0-3 Hull.