Charlton Athletic - 1 Sunderland - 1 Sunderland's unlikely saviour, Howard Wilkinson, is still looking for his first win as a club manager this century, but at least the supporters could offer up a watery smile in the southeast London rain yesterday afternoon.
While Charlton's pressure, if not their guile, probably deserved a point, Sunderland's second away draw within a week clearly gave their manager a measure of grim optimism for the many difficulties to come.
They scored first with only their sixth goal of the season, and looked capable of clinging on to their slender advantage until Charlton equalised.
Even then their more precise movement going forward looked capable of taking the points, and Charlton never looked comfortable when confronted by the leggy marauding of Tore Andre Flo and Kevin Kilbane.
"That was our most difficult game, physically, and we ran out of legs again," Wilkinson said. "We can improve our fitness in time. The question is whether we have the time.
"But we're getting there, and I never expected a quick fix. We are starting to think like competitors again. We are starting to realise that a team must have discipline and order."
Charlton, meanwhile, were heading for fifth home defeat of the season, which would have dumped them in the bottom three, until Gary Rowett's equaliser in the 77th minute.
Alan Curbishley said, a little unfairly: "I think we deserved the win. I'm happy with the way we've played in our last four or five matches but we haven't taken the points we might have.
"Our position is uncomfortable but not fatal. People talk about pressure all the time but the players are under no pressure from the coaching staff."
Sunderland were the more positive side early on and deserved to take the lead in the 14th minute with Flo's first goal since he scored on his debut - this still makes him the club's leading scorer.
Paul Thirlwell won the ball near the edge of the area and laid it off to Gavin McCann, whose shot was blocked into the path of Flo.
Flo found himself out of favour when Wilkinson replaced Peter Reid, but his firm, right-footed drive past Dean Kiely had the new manager grinning widely.
In the second half, however, Charlton had more of the game and the equaliser came after a free-kick when Mark Fish back-headed towards the Sunderland goal and Jason Euell touched the ball on for Rowett to shoot past Jurgen Macho.
CHARLTON: Kiely, Rowett, Rufus, Fish, Robinson (Johansson 90), Parker (Kishishev 85), Mustoe, Jensen, Powell, Bartlett (Lisbie 73), Euell. Subs Not Used: Roberts, Young. Booked: Parker. Goals: Rowett 77.
SUNDERLAND: Macho, Wright, Bjorklund, Craddock, Babb, Kilbane, McCann, Thirlwell (Williams 65), Gray, Flo, Phillips (Piper 80). Subs Not Used: Ingham, McCartney, Stewart. Booked: McCann, Bjorklund, Williams, Wright. Goals: Flo 15.
Referee: D Gallagher (Oxfordshire).
