Max Power reveals why he's remaining positive after Sunderland's season opener

Max Power is refusing to panic after Sunderland’s opening day draw with Bristol Rovers – insisting he has seen enough from the side to believe they can be promotion contenders.
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The Black Cats were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw against Bristol Rovers in their League One opener, after a limp start saw the Gas take the lead after just three minutes.

And while Power made no excuses for Sunderland’s ‘awful start’ – and the subsequent 15 minute period in which they struggled to impose themselves on the game – he remains pleased with the fact the side are continuing to create chances.

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Were they not, then Power believes there would be cause for concern. But having had 25 shots in the stalemate against Bristol Rovers, Power believes the focus now has to be on becoming more clinical in front of goal.

Max Power's candid verdict on Sunderland's opening day draw, Bristol Rovers' time-wasting tactics and the improvements that must comeMax Power's candid verdict on Sunderland's opening day draw, Bristol Rovers' time-wasting tactics and the improvements that must come
Max Power's candid verdict on Sunderland's opening day draw, Bristol Rovers' time-wasting tactics and the improvements that must come

“There were plenty of positives to take, but ultimately, we’ve had an awful start, there’s no hiding away from that,” he said.

"I think it knocked us for the first 15 minutes of the game.

“It was very hectic. Bristol were coming here with a game plan of slowing the game down at every opportunity. The keeper was taking a very long time on goal kicks and when the ball went out for a throw in, and it made it very frustrating.

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"When you concede so early, it always gives the other team a leg up and it’s an uphill battle for us. I think after the initial 15 or 20 minutes we settled into the game and started getting the ball down and passing it about.

"On another day, we’ve created more than enough chances, especially in the second half, to have won the game.”

“The performance against Hull was really good,” he continued.

“We created enough chances to have won that game, and Tuesday night was goals galore.

"Then today. I just think it’s a really sloppy start.

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“We like to get the ball forward early, but have over hit that ball long. It’s fine margins, but that first 90 seconds has probably cost us winning the game.

"I’m positive. I’ve seen enough today. It would be a worry if we weren’t creating chances, but I don’t want to be sitting here a month down the line and we’re still saying we played well but we’ve not quite done enough.

“The first game is out of the way now, and we have a free week to work really hard on the training ground.”

Sunderland’s struggles against the Gas were, in some part, down to the time-wasting tactics employed by the visitors in the second half as they looked to protect their early advantage.

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Having been late out of the tunnel for the resumption, Ben Garner’s side took every opportunity to slow down play – much to the frustration of Power, who felt the officials could have done more.

"I think sometimes common sense has to prevail, and the referee can deal with that a lot quicker,” he admitted.

"If they get a warning for time wasting early on and then it’s followed by a caution, maybe that will help.

"It comes to a point where it has to be a case of, ‘Come on ref, let’s get the game moving and going’.

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"I’ve never seen a physio come on so much. Has anyone gone off seriously hurt? No.

“I get what Bristol are doing, and it’s something we’ve got to cope with. But sometimes officials can deal with that situation a lot better.”

As with all games in the EFL, the opening day fixture was played in front of an empty stadium as per the current government guidance.

But would a full house have aided the Black Cats’ cause?

“It’s still early on to get a real gauge,” admitted Power.

“But I do feel today, with how dominant we were in that second half, there’s no denying that a full house would have helped. The atmosphere would have gone up.

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"You see their goalkeeper, he gets booked in the 98th minute, but for me, there’s no point booking him then. It’s 98 minutes too late – he was taking his time after four minutes. I’m not saying the crowd would have got their goalkeeper booked, but the pressure certainly gets ramped up on officials when there is a crowd.

“It is a strange atmosphere at the moment – I hope it’s not one that’s here for the long run.

"Chris gets that equaliser, and there’s hardly much noise. It’s a very strange atmosphere, it’s eerie. When you get corners or do good bits of play, it’s usually greeted by a roar here.

“At the moment, it’s very quiet. It’s clearly about safety first, but I’ll be pushing for fans to be in sooner rather than later.”

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Sunderland have a free week before their next fixture, a trip to promotion hopefuls Oxford United.

And for Power, the focus in the week has to be on evolution rather than revolution – and on improving that killer touch in front of goal.

"It’s disappointing we’ve not won today, but we’ve got a free week now and it’s a case of fine-tuning those little bits.

“We’ve had six months, a long period off, and I still feel as if we’ve got a few gears to go up.

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"For me, the signs are good in terms of the chances we’re creating, it’s just a case of finding that clinical edge. We’ve had that feeling a bit too much in recent years – coming in and saying well done, but knowing we’ve had more than enough chances to have won the game.”

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