Sunderland: Mike Dodds is right to call out what he saw from supporters v Leeds - View | OneFootball

It has been an incredibly disappointing season for Sunderland in the Championship.

The Black Cats made the shock decision to sack Tony Mowbray in December despite sitting just outside the play-off places, replacing him with Michael Beale, and it is fair to say the move did not work out.

Beale was an unpopular appointment among Sunderland supporters, and he was sacked in February after winning just four of his 12 games in charge, with Mike Dodds taking over as interim head coach until the end of the season.

Dodds enjoyed an impressive spell as caretaker after Mowbray's exit, but he has found it tougher this time around, picking up just six points from nine games so far.

However, the Black Cats put in an excellent performance as they held promotion-chasing Leeds United to a 0-0 draw at Elland Road on Tuesday night.

Sunderland currently sit 13th in the table, and while there is nothing left to play for this season, the point against the Whites restores some pride after what has been a turbulent few months.

Mike Dodds reacts to Leeds United draw

Dodds was delighted with his side's defensive display against Leeds, who he described as the best team in the league, but he admitted that he does not want to celebrate draws.

"I’m happy for them," Dodds told The Northern Echo.

"I don’t want to go over the top because we have drawn the game, we haven’t won it. We’ve got to take the positives from the game, and I think there were a lot of positives, but we have drawn the game and I don’t want to be sat here celebrating draws, if I’m completely honest.

"I thought our out-of-possession stuff was excellent, and I didn’t feel at any point that Leeds were going to score or break us down or carve us open. I felt all their chances came from our sloppy play.

"I’ve said to the group that my biggest disappointment was our quality with the ball. I think the evening would have been a lot more comfortable for us had we had better quality with the ball. I felt we turned the ball over far too much, but I’m happy in terms of the execution of the plan to stop their threats.

"I think they’re the best team in the league, so to play them twice and not concede any goal over two games says everything about the group and the preparation for the two games."

Sunderland supporters will surely agree with Mike Dodds' comments

Sunderland should be pleased with their point against Leeds, particularly after a disastrous run of form prior to the game at Elland Road, in which they picked up just five points from ten games.

Leeds had scored 44 league goals at home this season, but the Black Cats became just the second team to stop them from scoring on their own patch after Sheffield Wednesday.

It was an outstanding defensive performance from Sunderland, with the back three of Dan Ballard, Luke O'Nien and Trai Hume, and wing-backs Timothee Pembele and Callum Styles all excelling.

The Black Cats did ride their luck at times, and the Whites should perhaps have had a penalty in either half, firstly when Crysencio Summerville's shot hit Dan Ballard's elbow before O'Nien handled in the box, but referee Tim Robinson did not spot either incident.

After a difficult few months, Sunderland supporters were understandably happy with a hard-earned point, and the performance offers hope for next season, but Dodds is right not to celebrate the result.

As Dodds says, the Black Cats have the attacking quality to have caused Leeds more problems, and they may be disappointed not to have exploited some of the Whites' defensive vulnerabilties that have been on show in recent games against Watford, Hull City and Coventry City.

Dodds' point is proven by the fact that Sunderland beat Leeds during his caretaker spell in December, with Jobe Bellingham's second half strike sealing all three points, but they failed to create many meaningful chances on Wednesday night.

After reaching the play-offs last season, and as a big club with an equally large fan base, Sunderland should be aiming to be better than the likes of Leeds, rather than just playing for a point against them.

But in the current circumstances, a draw at Elland Road was a more than respectable result for the Black Cats, and four clean sheets in five games underlines their new-found defensive solidity, which should provide the platform for the likes of Clarke, Bellingham, Patrick Roberts and Abdoullah Ba to thrive.