Lee Johnson has put the confusion surrounding Sunderland’s teamsheet at Shrewsbury down to a ‘clerical error’ - but hinted that there could be repercussions.
When the teams were announced before kick-off, Conor McLaughlin and Luke O’Nien were both included in the starting line-up that was handed to officials, to Shrewsbury Town, and that was tweeted on Sunderland’s official club twitter account.
But when the teams emerged, Max Power and Grant Leadbitter – who had been named on the bench – started the game, while McLaughlin and O’Nien were in fact substitutes.
Johnson says that it was not the result of a late change, but a mistake on the teamsheet.
He did not point the finger at any individual, but said it had happened ‘one too many times’ and the implication of his words was clear.
“It was a clerical error,” he said.
“We’ll take collective responsibility, but it has happened one too many times.”
The previous incident Johnson was referring to came in Sunderland’s EFL Trophy second round tie at Oldham Athletic in December, in what was only his second game in charge.
The teamsheet that day included Dion Sanderson in the starting line-up, and it was only when the club was alerted to the fact that the on-loan Wolves defender was cup-tied that there was a hurried last-minute change.
