Trai Hume delivers Sunderland dressing room verdict after Millwall draw and Jack Clarke penalty

Trai Hume says Sunderland’s 1-1 draw against Millwall isn’t a bad result after the Black Cats came from behind at The Den.

Tony Mowbray’s team fell a goal down on the strike of half-time when Brooke Norton-Cuffy’s cross was converted by Kevin Nisbet. Jack Clarke’s 78th-minute equaliser from the penalty spot then earned the visitors a point, following back-to-back defeats against Plymouth and Huddersfield.

When asked about the contest, Hume highlighted Millwall’s tactic to play diagonal passes from centre-back Jake Cooper towards Sunderland left-back Niall Huggins. 

“Whenever Cooper got the ball they seemed to hit diagonals onto Huggie’s head and it was hard to deal with," admitted Hume. “That’s the way they play and they actually played a bit more than we thought they would. That’s the way they play and they actually played a bit more than we thought they would.

“It’s not a nice place to come and to come away with a point is not a bad result. The last two defeats haven’t been ideal. We have been disappointed we haven’t been at our best the last couple of games so to come here and get a point from 1-0 down is not bad."

On Millwall’s opener, which came after Dan Ballard missed a challenge against Ryan Leonard, Hume added: “It was disappointing. Ballard went in for the challenge, has missed the challenge and the winger has run down the line and the striker has peeled off. It’s a great ball in and a great finish.

“It was a tough one to take at the end of the half. We thought we played well in the first half but to go in 1-0 down wasn’t great.”