Sunderland AFC and League One round-up: Phil Parkinson talks ahead of Tranmere Rovers clash

And ahead of Tranmere Rovers’ visit the Stadium of Light on Tuesday, the former Bolton boss has urged his side to add creativity to their game:

Speaking to saf.com, Parkinson said: “It is important because we have an opportunity on Tuesday night to get three points on the board.

“When you are winning you don’t mind having that clear week.

“We are disappointed to have given a cheap free-kick away and then not deal with it – that proved to be the deciding moment in the game.

“Did we make the most of the possession we had and show enough quality in the final third? Probably not because we didn’t create enough chances. We need to produce more and make the most of the possession we have.”

Elsewhere in the third tier, Gillingham manager Steve Evans felt that his side were the better team despite suffering a 2-1 defeat to Peterborough United.

Speaking to the Peterborough Telegraph, Evans said: “I don’t need to tell an experienced and good manager like Darren Ferguson that he has been fortunate.

“I think in every area, if you look at the stats, we were by far the better team. We had 16-17 efforts on goal and five or six on target. Several of our off-target shots should have been on target as well.”