Was Jason Steele’s Sunderland revival short-lived?

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Sunderland remain at the foot of the Championship after being beaten 3-0 at the Stadium of Light.

Following Sunderland’s spirited draw with Millwall at the weekend, there were several Black Cats fans who felt cautiously optimistic that Jason Steele was ready to seize the chance to be number one having been Lee Camp’s understudy since January.

Steele has endured a miserable time since arriving at the Stadium of Light in the summer, but Camp’s torrid stint between the sticks handed him a fresh chance to impress at The Den. And it seemed that he took that chance.

The 27-year-old was impressive as the Black Cats inflicted the only slight blemish on the Lions’ recent results. Following last night’s win over Hull City, Millwall have won four of their last five, only dropping points against Chris Coleman’s side.

But it appears that Steele’s revival with Sunderland may have been short-lived as questions were asked of him once again following Tuesday’s emphatic defeat at home to Aston Villa.

The Villans ran out 3-0 winners, and while he could have done nothing about the second goal and was unfortunate to concede the third – which was put in by teammate Bryan Oviedo – he cannot avoid criticism for the first goal.

A cross from Albert Adomah bounced in the middle of the six-yard box and Steele was clearly unsure whether to try and claim the ball or stay on his line in case one of the Villa forwards got a touch.

In the end, he remained in two minds which meant that Lewis Grabban’s header towards the back post found the back of an empty net. It seems unlikely that Steele would have had many problems keeping the attempt out had he stayed on his line.

Luckily for Steele, it is not as if his rivals are putting considerable pressure on him, so he may well keep his place for the trip to Loftus Road to face Queens Park Rangers this weekend. But after appearing to take one step forward at Millwall on Saturday, it seems that the stopper may have immediately taken one or two back against Villa.