Alex Pritchard explains key Alex Neil demand at Sunderland

The Alex Neil era got underway with a 1-1 draw at AFC Wimbledon on Saturday as Sunderland came from behind to avoid a fourth straight defeat.

The four game winless run could not have come at a worse time for the Black Cats with the teams around them gathering pace in approaching the business end of the season.

Sunderland now rank sixth on points per game and Neil could have his work cut out achieving anything more than a play-off finish this season.

Alex Pritchard played under Neil at Norwich City and netted the equaliser at Plough Lane at the weekend.

The 28-year-old explained what it takes to play for Neil when he spoke to ChronicleLive.

Pritchard said: “Hard work, that’s a given, you have to work hard.

“When you are playing for Sunderland you have to work hard and that is the number one rule.

“You should wear the shirt with pride because it is a privilege – that’s what the gaffer said at full-time, and we know that, the boys know that.

“We need to look forward.

“We’ve been in a difficult period and it’s difficult to take, we’ve only got a point but at the end of the day we’ve stopped the rot and got a point so we can move on.”

Neil achieved promotion from the play-offs in his time at Norwich City and it looks likely he will have to draw on that experience once more with the Black Cats so far from the top two.

The Verdict

A fifth consecutive season in League One really does not bear thinking about for the Black Cats.

They lost out in the play-off final for an immediate return to the second tier in 2018/19, ended up missing out on the top six altogether in the curtailed 2019/20 campaign and were beaten by Lincoln City at the semi final stage in 2020/21.

Sunderland did not have a replacement lined up for Lee Johnson, who