Simon Grayson said ahead of this trip to Ipswich that there is a long way to go until the season comes to a close. For Sunderland’s sorry supporters, that is far from comforting.
Here they suffered a humiliating sixth loss in their last seven Championship fixtures – and the Black Cats remain the only side in the league to have not kept a clean sheet.
To rub salt into the wounds, this Ipswich win was inspired by Martyn Waghorn – the former Sunderland forward who was born in South Shields and brought through their academy.
Man-of-the-match Waghorn scored the opener then set up Ipswich’s next three goals as the North East side made the long trip home empty-handed.