Micah Richards has spoken about one ‘very entertaining’ moment that took place in Sunderland’s draw with Burnley.
The Black Cats are set to face Derby County on Tuesday evening as they hope to put the recent Burnley clash behind them.
Whilst Sunderland put in a solid showing against a fellow promotion contender away from home, Regis Le Bris’ side will regard the game as two points dropped after they had two opportunities to open the scoring through Wilson Isidor from the spot.
The Frenchman’s inability to fire his side into the lead from both penalties was incredibly uncharacteristic from someone in such good form so far this season, and many have highlighted the antics of James Trafford as to why Isidor was unable to convert. One of those to notice the Burnley goalkeeper’s influence is Micah Richards, who, it’s safe to say, won’t be echoing the thoughts of many Sunderland fans.
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Micah Richards praises ‘entertaining’ James Trafford antics vs Sunderland
Sunderland always knew the challenge of having to travel to Turf Moor and bag a goal. Coming up against a side that had only conceded nine in the Championship, it was always going to be difficult.
Burnley had goalkeeper Trafford to thank for keeping them in the game, racking up several saves, including two from the spot.
Whilst Black Cats fans will certainly praise the performance of Trafford, Sunderland supporters certainly weren’t keen on the antics of the Clarets’ shot-stopper in the lead up to Isidor’s penalty, but Micah Richards certainly was.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast on YouTube, Richards said: “I watched the game. It was actually very entertaining. And when [Trafford] saved the first one, I thought ‘he can’t possibly save the next one’. He’s just thinking ‘Is the striker going to go in a different direction or is he going to go the same way’. He goes the same way. But did you see all the antics that Trafford was doing? He took his gloves off. The referee was like ‘What are you doing?’ It was brilliant ‘s___housery.”
Wilson Isidor must put penalty difficulties behind him to continue lightning form
Many people following the Burnley game were covering the abilities of Trafford in saving both the penalties, and he does certainly deserve that praise as the spot-kicks taken by Isidor weren’t poor in the slightest.
Nonetheless, the Frenchman was clearly affected by the pivotal moment in the game. This was shown by his emotional message that he sent to the fans after the clash.
It is important that Isidor gets his head down, puts the game behind him, and looks towards the upcoming tie with Derby County.
Many have already come to realise that Isidor is crucial to Sunderland’s success this season, and the quicker he is able to put the penalty misses behind him, the more likely that the Black Cats are to sustain their remarkable promotion push.