No Boxing Day blues: Michael Beale claims first win as Sunderland head coach

After a shakey start, the Black Cats came away with a win over Hull City. Credit: PA

Sunderland claimed their first win under new head coach Michael Beale with a 1-0 over Hull City on Boxing Day.

An 82nd-minute strike from talisman Jack Clarke was enough to split the sides as the Black Cats moved back into the play-off places.

The performance was a marked improvement on Beale's first game as Sunderland were defeated 3-0 by Coventry City at the Stadium of Light.

The former Rangers boss has now urged his players to find more consistency as they seek to solidify their place in the top six.

“I knew it would be a tough game and that we hadn’t won away from home for a long time, but I thought we should have won by more," Beale said after the game. “We missed some big chances. Some of our interplay was good and it was just whether we could execute that in the final third.

“I’m absolutely delighted with the mentality of the side. That’s a big, big positive, but the big thing for me is that we need consistency. We must back it up against Rotherham.

“The inconsistency tells me we can’t get too high or too low – it’s important we keep going.”

Sunderland's Jack Clarke celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game. Credit: PA

The game looked to be heading towards a draw until Clarke provided the game's only moment of real quality, cutting in from the left before slotting the ball into the bottom-right corner.

There was plenty of praise from the Sunderland head coach for the talented 23-year-old but he admitted he wants his other players to get used to scoring scrappier goals.

“We hadn’t much time to work with the players and it was demoralising on Saturday,

what with the way the game went," he explained. “Hull are really dangerous opponents and to come away with a clean sheet was fantastic.

“I think sometimes we are a little bit fussy in the final third – trying to score a perfect goal. It’s got to be more effective, but that was a special goal from Jack.

“It was a great three points, but we have to recover and now prepare for Rotherham.”

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