No early miracle for Venables

Well, it cannot be said he did not have an immediate impact. On Terry Venables' first matchday at Middlesbrough they went straight to the back of the queue. Middlesbrough are bottom of the Premiership. They were not when Venables arrived on Friday. Welcome back.

From here, at least, the only way is up. Unless, of course, Boro go down. The good news for Venables though is that Middlesbrough had the appearance of a team on Saturday, rather than a collection of disillusioned individuals.

They played quite well, retained their shape throughout and deserved a point. A perfectly good goal scored by Hamilton Ricard was disallowed by referee Graham Poll in the first half, and the Colombian striker was later guilty of shooting when he should have been passing and passing when he should have been shooting. Infuriating.

No wonder Venables, who had said he was going to watch the match from the stands, was at Bryan Robson's side by the seventh minute. A vote of confidence it was not. Ugo Ehiogu had already kicked his own player, Phil Stamp, on the head, and 10 minutes later Ehiogu again clashed with one of his colleagues. It was the most convincing or accomplished defending seen lately, but gradually Middlesbrough settled and made it hard for Sunderland. "We were tight," said Paul Ince.

This was Sunderland's fifth win in a row, and left them with one defeat since mid-September, when they lost at Old Trafford and were 17th in the table. On Saturday night they were fourth, and this club which has not played European football for 27 years is beginning to think about the Continent again.

Reid is fastidious with his spending, and the sight here of Julio Arca continually trying to carve some creativity out of the harsh seam on Middlesbrough's right was a reminder of the sort of player Robson has not bought enough of - young unknowns.

Arca was Sunderland's inspiration when the usual policy of aiming for Quinn's head was rendered obsolete by twin markers - Quinn is out of Tuesday's League Cup tie at Crystal Palace - and it was the Argentinian's persistence that finally led to the game's sole goal. Michael Gray scored it in the 54th minute, but it went through Mark Schwarzer's legs at the near post and that is not good goalkeeping.

There is a sense that Sunderland feel they are not being given the credit they deserve. Reid has said so recently, but Gray was the opposite. "We don't mind that," he said, "we don't want the limelight."

And they probably won't get it, not with Venables ensconced 30 miles down the road.

SUNDERLAND: Sorensen, Williams, Gray, Craddock, Thome, Kilbane, Rae, McCann, Arca, Quinn, Phillips. Subs Not Used: Marriott, Varga, Schwarz, Thirlwell, Oster. Booked: Phillips. Goals: Gray 54.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Fleming, Vickers, Ehiogu, Cooper, Mustoe, Ince, O'Neill, Stamp (Karembeu 14), Ricard, Deane. Subs Not Used: Crossley, Festa, Whelan, Okon. Booked: Cooper, O'Neill, Ricard.

Referee: G Poll (Tring).