Sunderland's season continues to confound and confuse.
A side that had been humiliated 6-0 just 15 miles up the road at Bolton less than a month ago, had since been further humbled by Doncaster, Cheltenham and MK Dons, and held by AFC Wimbledon and Burton Albion, looked like lambs to the slaughter as they arrived at Wigan.
Winless in six games and with just one win in ten since the turn of the year, even the most optimistic of the 4,800 fans who made the journey across the Pennines must have feared the worst.
