Sunderland lost the Checkatrade Trophy final on Sunday in heartbreaking fashion, with Portsmouth emerging victorious in a penalty shootout.

The game was played in front of over 85,000 people at Wembley, a remarkable attendance for such a fixture.

As always, there has to be a villain in a shootout and it was Black Cats midfielder Lee Cattermole who was the only one to miss out of the ten takers.

Understandably, Jack Ross has come out in support of the 31-year-old recently and backed his strong character to help him recover immediately from the setback.

Whilst you don't expect a manager to throw a player under the bus after they had the guts to take a penalty, Cattermole is still sure to appreciate the words from his manager.

And, it will focus the mind even more as they gear up for what should be an exciting end to the season, with promotion on the line.

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The Wearside outfit trail Barnsley by six points in the race for second place, however they do have three games in hand - starting against Accrington.

Therefore, there is no time for the side, or Cattermole, to feel sorry for themselves. Instead they have to get straight back to it and do all they can to pick up three points.

Whether Ross decides to make changes given the fact the side played 120 minutes remains to be seen but his comments suggest Cattermole will remain in the side.

That's exactly what the midfielder would want as he looks to forget his personal Wembley disappointment by doing his bit to get the side back in the Championship.