Sky Bet Championship
Sunderland 3-3 Bolton Wanderers
Grabban 45, 57 McNair 79 Ameobi 32 Madine 60 Henry 67
Sunderland have this evening sacked manager Simon Grayson just 20 minutes after the conclusion of an entertaining six-goal thriller against fellow-strugglers Bolton Wanderers.
Sammy Ameobi took the lead for Bolton initially, but Sunderland fought back with two goals from Lewis Grabban either side of half-time.
The hosts’ lead didn’t last long though as Gary Madine and Karl Henry found the net to regain the lead for the visitors.
Paddy McNair rescued an equaliser for the Mackems but they couldn’t go on to get a winner, and as a result Grayson has been dismissed following a poor start to the season.
Sunderland controlled the game for much of the first half, but Bolton were first to take the lead.
Sammy Ameobi was given acres of space by the Sunderland midfield and he finished coolly with a well-driven shot around 25 yards out to reach the bottom-left corner in the 32nd minute.
Home fans began to sing chants such as “Grayson out” and “You’re not fit to wear the shirt” but the hosts gave themselves a lifeline when Lewis Grabban equalised on the brink of half-time.
The experienced forward beat full-back Mark Little and put the ball past keeper Ben Alnwick one-on-one in the 45th minute.
Grabban scored again just 12 minutes into the second half.
Aidan McGeady worked well on the left and gave the ball to Bryan Oviedo on the overlap, and the full-back gifted the ball to Grabban who netted coolly from close range.
Sunderland’s lead only lasted three minutes as awful defending meant that Gary Madine was able to put the ball away from close range with ease for the visitors.
Seven minutes later, Sunderland were back to square one as Karl Henry put Bolton back in front.
Didier N’Dong made a poor back pass to the keeper, and Adam Armstrong picked up on the loose ball and crossed it in-towards the former Wolves man who smashed it into the bottom-left corner.
Midfielder Paddy McNair came off the bench and rescued a point for Sunderland in the 80th minute.
The former Manchester United man fired the ball into the bottom-corner on the edge of the box as the ball fell to him – scoring his first professional league goal.
The result means Sunderland move up to 22nd in the Championship table, whilst Bolton Wanderers remain bottom.
Sunderland: Ruiter, Matthews, O’Shea (c), Wilson, Oviedo, Gibson (McNair 75), N’Dong, McManaman (Watmore 61), Williams (Vaughan 45), McGeady, Grabban.
Booked: Grabban
Subs not used: Steele, Cattermole, Kone, Honeyman.
Bolton Wanderers: Alnwick, Little, Wheater, Beevers, Robinson, Pratley, Henry, Ameobi, Vela, Armstrong (Noone 84), Madine.
Subs not used: Howard, Le Fondre, Buckley, Noone, Cullen, Derik, Darby.
Attendance: 26,395
James Main 