Sunderland dropped two points in the play-off race as they were held to goalless draw by Lincoln City at Sincil Bank. The Black Cats created a series of chances against a poor Imps side, but were unable to convert.
Corry Evans came closest when he hit the post just before the hour, while Jack Clarke and Ross Stewart also chances to score. But Lincoln held on for the draw, with goalkeeper Jordan Wright making a brilliant save to deny Stewart in injury-time.
Earlier, Lincoln had almost won it and it needed a fine stop from Anthony Patterson to prevent substitute Liam Cullen finding the net. Sunderland kept their fourth clean sheet in five games and stay sixth in the table, but this was a missed opportunity against a Lincoln side that had lost five of its last seven games going into this match.
Read more: L incoln 0-0 Sunderland as it happened
Alex Neil made two changes to the side that beat Crewe on Wearside last weekend, with Dan Neil and Roberts coming into the side in place of Jay Matete and Jermain Defoe. Lincoln boss Michael Appleton made three changes, in his case to the side that lost at League One leaders Rotherham in midweek.
In came ex-Sunderland man Chris Maguire, Regan Poole, and Conor McGrandles, with Timothy Eyoma, Ted Bishop, and Anthony Scully, making way. Sunderland had the better of the first half, but without testing Lincoln keeper Jordan Wright.
Roberts saw a shot from range deflected over the bar for a corner, while Neil fired over the top after being set up by Lynden Gooch. On the quarter-hour, Roberts was inches away from making contact sliding in at the far post with a low Jack Clarke cross when any touch would have resulted in a goal.
Clarke looked a threat down the left, and when he intercepted a loose pass just outside the box he then curled a shot narrowly wide of the far post. And on the half-hour, a defender's slip presented Luke O'Nien with the ball near the corner flag on the right and his cross found Clarke at the far post, but his first-time effort flashed across the face of goal.
Lincoln had to wait until the stroke of half-time for their only real chance of the half, but when John Marquis crossed low from the left, Tom Hopper stabbed wide of the near post. Sunderland started the second half on the front foot, with Clarke sending a shot narrowly wide just after the restart.
O'Nien then sent a 25-yard free-kick straight at the keeper. And on 55 minutes, a clever move involving O'Nien and Roberts down the right saw the latter tee up Evans 12 yards out but while his sidefoot finish beat the keeper, it struck the base of the left-hand post and Brooke Norton-Cuffy cleared the loose ball.
Sunderland created an equally good opportunity just after the hour with Roberts embarking on a penetrating run before feeding the ball through to Clarke inside the area on the left. Clarke had time to measure his finish, but his low shot went just wide of the far post with the keeper beaten.
Neil sent on Defoe and Leon Dajaku for the final quarter-hour, and Defoe immediately went close after turning outside the area and sending a low shot just wide of the left-hand post. Cullen almost snatched victory for Lincoln in the final ten minutes, but his close-range header was brilliantly kept out by Patterson who pushed the ball up and onto the bar before his defenders cleared the danger.
And in injury-time, Lincoln keeper Wright produced an excellent stop of his own, this time to push Ross Stewart's header away for a corner when it looked a goal all the way.
How they lined up
Sunderland: Patterson, Winchester, Wright, Cirkin, Gooch (Doyle 85), Evans, Neil (Defoe 74), Clarke (Dajaku 74), O'Nien, Roberts, Stewart. Subs not used: Hoffmann, Embleton, Matete, Hume
Booked: Evans
Lincoln City: Wright, Jackson, Poole, Walsh (Whittaker 65), Norton-Cuffy, McGrandles, Fiorini, Bramall, Maguire, Marquis (Cullen 80), Hopper. Subs not used: Sanders, Scully, Bishop, House, Sorensen
Booked: Walsh, McGrandles
Referee: Craig Hicks (Surrey)
Attendance: 10,346
For the latest Sunderland news direct to your inbox, go here to sign up to our free newsletter
