Phil Parkinson’s Black Cats claimed a 2-2 draw against the Gills at the Stadium of Light with Jon McLaughlin back to his best.
Gillingham grabbed a stoppage-time draw away at Sunderland on Saturday but Steve Evans felt that one point could have been three if it wasn’t for the ‘outstanding’ Jon McLaughlin, while speaking to Kent Online.
An experienced Scotland international has been back to his brilliant best in recent weeks after a difficult start to the 2019/20 campaign.
McLaughlin has kept nine clean sheets in League One since mid-December and, while he didn’t manage to reach double figures against the Gills, the 32-year-old goalkeeper still emerged as a contender for the Man of the Match award during a topsy-turvy clash at the Stadium of Light.
The former Hearts stopper made two brilliant reaction saves during the second half and Evans felt that, if it wasn’t for McLaughlin, Gillingham could have claimed a third win against Sunderland this season alone.
“When you go to the Stadium of Light and you are in League One you know you are going to have to defend properly at times but I don’t remember my goalkeeper having to make too many good saves,” said the former Leeds and Rotherham United boss.
“I remember Jon McLaughlin making two outstanding stops. I think had we gone in front we would have won the game.”
After a remarkable resurgence under Phil Parkinson, Sunderland have now picked up just two points from the last nine available in the third tier, slipping well adrift of runaway league leaders Coventry City in the process.
But with McLaughlin defying physics once again, it seems only a matter of time before the Black Cats put this mini slump behind them.
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