title: 2012–13 Sunderland A.F.C. season
text: # 2012–13 Sunderland A.F.C. season
  
  The 2012–13 season was Sunderland's sixth consecutive season in the top division of English football, the Premier League. They finished the season in 17th place.
  
  ## Pre-season
  
  ### Friendlies
  
  | Date | Opponents | H / A | Result H – A | Scorers |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 27 July 2012 | Hartlepool United | A | 1–0 | – |
  | 4 August 2012 | Helsingborgs | A | 2–0 | – |
  | 8 August 2012 | Derby County | A | 1–1 | McClean 71' |
  | 11 August 2012 | Leicester City | A | 1–0 | – |
  
  ### 2012 Peace Cup
  
  Sunderland, along with Eredivisie side Groningen, K-League side Seongnam, and Bundesliga side Hamburg, will compete in a friendly tournament, 2012 Peace Cup. All matches will be played at the Suwon World Cup Stadium in the Korean city of Suwon.
  
  | Date | Opponents | H / A | Result H – A | Scorers |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 19 July 2012 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | N | 1–0 | – |
  | 22 July 2012 | Groningen | N | 3–2 | Wickham 19', Campbell 88', Noble 90' |
  
  ## Premier League
  
  | Date | Opponents | H / A | Result H – A | Scorers | Attendance | League position |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 18 August 2012 | Arsenal | A | 0–0 | – | 60,078 | 11th |
  | 25 August 2012 | Reading | H | P–P | – | – | 13th |
  | 1 September 2012 | Swansea City | A | 2–2 | Fletcher 40', 45' | 20,350 | 13th |
  | 15 September 2012 | Liverpool | H | 1–1 | Fletcher 29' | 41,997 | 14th |
  | 22 September 2012 | West Ham United | A | 1–1 | Fletcher 10' | 33,052 | 12th |
  | 29 September 2012 | Wigan Athletic | H | 1–0 | Fletcher 51' | 37,742 | 11th |
  | 6 October 2012 | Manchester City | A | 0–3 | – | 47,036 | 13th |
  | 21 October 2012 | Newcastle United | H | 1–1 | Ba 86' o.g. | 47,456 | 14th |
  | 27 October 2012 | Stoke City | A | 0–0 | – | 27,005 | 14th |
  | 3 November 2012 | Aston Villa | H | 0–1 | – | 41,515 | 16th |
  | 10 November 2012 | Everton | A | 1–2 | Johnson 45' | 35,999 | 16th |
  | 18 November 2012 | Fulham | A | 3–1 | Fletcher 50', Cuéllar 65', Sessègnon 70' | 25,646 | 15th |
  | 24 November 2012 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–4 | Gardner 73', Sessègnon 87' | 36,390 | 16th |
  | 27 November 2012 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 0–0 | – | 36,513 | 16th |
  | 2 December 2012 | Norwich City | A | 1–2 | Gardner 45' | 26,228 | 17th |
  | 8 December 2012 | Chelsea | H | 1–3 | Johnson 66' | 39,273 | 18th |
  | 11 December 2012 | Reading | H | 3–0 | McClean 3', Fletcher 28', Sessègnon 90' | 37,723 | 15th |
  | 15 December 2012 | Manchester United | A | 1–3 | Campbell 72' | 75,582 | 16th |
  | 22 December 2012 | Southampton | A | 1–0 | Fletcher 42' | 31,275 | 15th |
  | 26 December 2012 | Manchester City | H | 1–0 | Johnson 53' | 42,190 | 13th |
  | 29 December 2012 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1–2 | O'Shea 40' | 41,168 | 13th |
  | 2 January 2013 | Liverpool | A | 0–3 | – | 44,228 | 14th |
  | 12 January 2013 | West Ham United | H | 3–0 | Larsson 12', Johnson 48', McClean 74' | 39,918 | 14th |
  | 19 January 2013 | Wigan Athletic | A | 3–2 | Gardner 17' (pen), Fletcher 21', 42' | 19,219 | 11th |
  | 29 January 2013 | Swansea City | H | 0–0 | – | 35,628 | 11th |
  | 2 February 2013 | Reading | A | 2–1 | Gardner 28' (pen) | 23,829 | 11th |
  | 9 February 2013 | Arsenal | H | 0–1 | – | 46,402 | 13th |
  | 23 February 2013 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 2–1 | Sessègnon 79' | 25,924 | 14th |
  | 2 March 2013 | Fulham | H | 2–2 | Gardner 37' (pen), Sessègnon 70' | 39,312 | 14th |
  | 9 March 2013 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 1–3 | Fletcher 20' | 18,169 | 15th |
  | 17 March 2013 | Norwich City | H | 1–1 | Gardner (pen)40' | 38,625 | 16th |
  | 30 March 2013 | Manchester United | H | 0–1 | – | 43,760 | 16th |
  | 7 April 2013 | Chelsea | A | 1–2 | Azpilicueta og 45' | 41,500 | 17th |
  | 14 April 2013 | Newcastle United | A | 0–3 | Sessègnon 27', Johnson 74', Vaughan 82' | 52,000 | 15th |
  | 20 April 2013 | Everton | H | 1–0 | Sessègnon 45' | 44,614 | 14th |
  | 29 April 2013 | Aston Villa | A | 6–1 | Rose 32' | 37,428 | 15th |
  | 6 May 2013 | Stoke | H | 1–1 | O'Shea 62' | 38,130 | 15th |
  | 12 May 2013 | Southampton | H | 1–1 | Bardsley 68' | 41,988 | 17th |
  | 19 May 2013 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–0 | | 36,258 | 17th |
  
  ### League table
  
  | Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 15 | Aston Villa | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 47 | 69 | −22 | 41 | |
  | 16 | Newcastle United | 38 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 45 | 68 | −23 | 41 | |
  | 17 | Sunderland | 38 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 41 | 54 | −13 | 39 | |
  | 18 | Wigan Athletic (R) | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 47 | 73 | −26 | 36 | Qualification for the Europa League group stage and relegation to the Championship |
  | 19 | Reading (R) | 38 | 6 | 10 | 22 | 43 | 73 | −30 | 28 | Relegation to the Football League Championship |
  
  * ↑ Wigan Athletic qualified for the Europa League group stage as the 2012–13 FA Cup winners.
  
  ## League Cup
  
  | Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result H – A | Scorers | Attendance |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 28 August 2012 | Second round | Morecambe | H | 2–0 | McClean 24', 65' | 22,871 |
  | 25 September 2012 | Third round | Milton Keynes Dons | A | 2–0 | Gardner 54', McClean 82' | 10,489 |
  | 30 October 2012 | Fourth round | Middlesbrough | H | 0–1 | – | 32,535 |
  
  ## FA Cup
  
  | Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result H – A | Scorers | Attendance |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 5 January 2013 | Third round | Bolton Wanderers | A | 2–2 | Wickham 60', Gardner 75' | 12,204 |
  | 15 January 2013 | Replay | Bolton Wanderers | H | 0–2 | – | 17,505 |
  
  ## Statistics
  
  ### Appearances and goals
  
  | No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
  | 2 | DF | SCO | Phil Bardsley | 21 | 1 | 11+7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
  | 3 | DF | ENG | Danny Rose | 29 | 1 | 25+2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
  | 4 | MF | FRA | Alfred N'Diaye | 16 | 0 | 15+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 5 | DF | ENG | Wes Brown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 6 | MF | ENG | Lee Cattermole | 14 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
  | 7 | MF | SWE | Sebastian Larsson | 41 | 1 | 36+2 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
  | 8 | MF | ENG | Craig Gardner | 37 | 8 | 32+1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
  | 9 | FW | ENG | Danny Graham | 13 | 0 | 11+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 10 | FW | ENG | Connor Wickham | 14 | 1 | 3+9 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
  | 11 | FW | SCO | James McFadden | 3 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 12 | DF | ENG | Matthew Kilgallon | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
  | 13 | GK | ENG | Jordan Pickford | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 14 | MF | ENG | Jack Colback | 40 | 0 | 30+5 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
  | 15 | MF | WAL | David Vaughan | 28 | 1 | 6+18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
  | 16 | DF | IRL | John O'Shea | 36 | 2 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
  | 18 | DF | SEN | Kader Mangane | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 19 | DF | ENG | Titus Bramble | 19 | 0 | 12+4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
  | 20 | GK | IRL | Keiren Westwood | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
  | 21 | MF | ENG | Adam Johnson | 40 | 5 | 35 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
  | 22 | GK | BEL | Simon Mignolet | 40 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 23 | MF | IRL | James McClean | 41 | 5 | 24+12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2+1 | 3 |
  | 24 | DF | ESP | Carlos Cuéllar | 28 | 1 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
  | 26 | FW | SCO | Steven Fletcher | 31 | 11 | 28 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
  | 28 | FW | BEN | Stéphane Sessègnon | 36 | 7 | 34+1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 30 | FW | FRA | Mikael Mandron | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 33 | FW | ENG | Ryan Noble | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 34 | MF | ENG | Billy Knott | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 37 | FW | IRL | Adam Mitchell | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 42 | DF | IRL | John Egan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | Players that played for Sunderland this season that have left the club/are currently out on loan: ||||||||||||
  | 9 | FW | ENG | Fraizer Campbell | 15 | 1 | 1+11 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
  | 11 | MF | ENG | Kieran Richardson | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 17 | FW | KOR | Ji Dong-won | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 18 | MF | IRL | David Meyler | 5 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
  | 11 | FW | SCO | James McFadden | 3 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 25 | FW | FRA | Louis Saha | 14 | 0 | 0+11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
  | 27 | MF | EGY | Ahmed Elmohamady | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 34 | DF | ENG | Blair Adams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  
  ### Goalscorers
  
  | Position | Number | Name | Premier League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | FW | 26 | Steven Fletcher | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
  | MF | 8 | Craig Gardner | 6 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
  | FW | 28 | Stéphane Sessègnon | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
  | MF | 21 | Adam Johnson | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
  | MF | 23 | James McClean | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
  | DF | 16 | John O'Shea | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
  | DF | 2 | Phil Bardsley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
  | FW | 9 | Fraizer Campbell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
  | DF | 24 | Carlos Cuéllar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
  | MF | 7 | Sebastian Larsson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
  | DF | 3 | Danny Rose | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
  | MF | 15 | David Vaughan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
  | FW | 10 | Connor Wickham | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
  | | | Own goals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
  | | | Totals | 41 | 2 | 4 | 47 |
  
  ### Overall
  
  | Games played | 30 (25 Premier League, 3 League Cup, 2 FA Cup) |
  | - | - |
  | Games won | 9 (7 Premier League, 2 League Cup) |
  | Games drawn | 9 (8 Premier League, 1 FA Cup) |
  | Games lost | 12 (10 Premier League, 1 League Cup, 1 FA Cup) |
  | Goals scored | 34 (28 Premier League, 4 League Cup, 2 FA Cup) |
  | Goals conceded | 38 (33 Premier League, 1 League Cup, 4 FA Cup) |
  | Goal difference | -4 |
  | Clean sheets | 11 (9 Premier League, 2 League Cup) |
  | Most appearances | Stéphane Sessègnon 28 |
  | Top scorer | Steven Fletcher 10 |
  
  ## Players
  
  ### Squad
  
  Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
  
  | No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | 2 | DF | SCO | Phil Bardsley |
  | 3 | DF | ENG | Danny Rose (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur) |
  | 4 | MF | FRA | Alfred N'Diaye |
  | 5 | DF | ENG | Wes Brown |
  | 6 | MF | ENG | Lee Cattermole (captain) |
  | 7 | MF | SWE | Sebastian Larsson |
  | 8 | MF | ENG | Craig Gardner |
  | 9 | FW | ENG | Danny Graham |
  | 12 | DF | ENG | Matthew Kilgallon |
  | 13 | GK | ENG | Jordan Pickford |
  | 14 | MF | ENG | Jack Colback |
  | 15 | MF | WAL | David Vaughan |
  | No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
  | 16 | DF | IRL | John O'Shea |
  | 18 | DF | SEN | Kader Mangane (on loan from Al-Hilal) |
  | 19 | DF | ENG | Titus Bramble |
  | 20 | GK | IRL | Keiren Westwood |
  | 21 | MF | ENG | Adam Johnson |
  | 22 | GK | BEL | Simon Mignolet |
  | 23 | MF | IRL | James McClean |
  | 24 | DF | ESP | Carlos Cuéllar |
  | 26 | FW | SCO | Steven Fletcher |
  | 28 | FW | BEN | Stéphane Sessègnon |
  | 33 | FW | ENG | Ryan Noble |
  | 42 | DF | IRL | John Egan |
  
  ## Transfers
  
  ### In
  
  | No. | Pos. | Name | Age | EU | Moving from | Type | Transfer window | Ends | Transfer fee |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 24 | DF | Carlos Cuéllar | 30 | EU | Aston Villa | Transfer | Summer | 2014 | Free |
  | | DF | David Ferguson | 18 | EU | Darlington | Transfer | Summer | 2013 | Free |
  | | MF | Wade Joyce | 18 | EU | Bury | Transfer | Summer | 2013 | Free |
  | 25 | FW | Louis Saha | 34 | EU | Tottenham Hotspur | Transfer | Summer | 2013 | Free |
  | 26 | FW | Steven Fletcher | 25 | EU | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Transfer | Summer | 2016 | £12 million |
  | 21 | MF | Adam Johnson | 25 | EU | Manchester City | Transfer | Summer | 2016 | £12 million |
  | 3 | DF | Danny Rose | 22 | EU | Tottenham Hotspur | Loan | Summer | 2013 | Loan |
  | | FW | Scott Harrison | 19 | EU | Darlington | Transfer | None | 2013 | Free |
  | 11 | FW | James McFadden | 29 | EU | Everton | Transfer | None | January 2013 | Free |
  | 4 | MF | Alfred N'Diaye | 22 | EU | Bursaspor | Transfer | Winter | 2016 | £3.8 million |
  | 18 | DF | Kader Mangane | 29 | EU | Al-Hilal | Loan | Winter | 2013 | Loan |
  | 9 | FW | Danny Graham | 27 | EU | Swansea City | Transfer | Winter | 2016 | £5 million |
  
  ### Out
  
  | N | Pos. | Name | Age | EU | Moving to | Type | Transfer window | Source |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | GK | Craig Gordon | 29 | EU | Free agent | Contract expired | Summer | Sky Sports |
  | | DF | Liam Bagnall | 20 | EU | Free agent | Contract expired | Summer | Sky Sports |
  | 1 | GK | Trevor Carson | 24 | EU | Bury | Contract expired | Summer | Sky Sports |
  | 16 | MF | Cristian Riveros | 29 | Non-EU | Kayserispor | Transfer | Summer | Goal.com |
  | 3 | DF | George McCartney | 31 | EU | West Ham United | Transfer | Summer | SAFC |
  | 3 | FW | Asamoah Gyan | 26 | Non-EU | Al Ain | Transfer | Summer | Goal.com |
  | 17 | FW | Jordan Cook | 22 | EU | Charlton Athletic | Contract expired | Summer | CAFC |
  | 3 | DF | Michael Liddle | 22 | EU | Accrington Stanley | Transfer | Summer | Sky Sports |
  | 14 | DF | Marcos Angeleri | 29 | Non-EU | Estudiantes | Transfer | Summer | Sky Sports |
  | 6 | DF | Michael Turner | 28 | EU | Norwich City | Transfer | Summer | Sky Sports |
  | 21 | GK | Lewis King | 19 | EU | Stockport County | Contract expired | Summer | Stockport County |
  | 27 | MF | Ahmed Elmohamady | 24 | Non-EU | Hull City | Loan | Summer | SAFC |
  | 6 | MF | Brett Elliott | 19 | EU | University of Charleston | Contract expired | Summer | UC Golden Eagles |
  | 15 | MF | Kieran Richardson | 27 | EU | Fulham | Transfer | Summer | Sky Sports |
  | | FW | Oumare Tounkara | 22 | EU | Red Star | Contract expired | Summer | Soccerway |
  | 24 | FW | Craig Lynch | 20 | EU | Hartlepool United | Loan | None | SAFC |
  | 27 | GK | Ben Wilson | 20 | EU | Chesterfield | Loan | None | SAFC |
  | 35 | FW | Ryan Noble | 21 | EU | Hartlepool | Loan | None | SAFC |
  | 34 | MF | Billy Knott | 19 | EU | Woking | Loan | None | SAFC |
  | 22 | DF | John Egan | 20 | EU | Bradford City | Loan | None | Sky Sports |
  | 31 | MF | David Meyler | 23 | EU | Hull City | Loan | None | Hull City AFC |
  | 39 | DF | Blair Adams | 21 | EU | Coventry City | Loan | None | SAFC |
  | | MF | Nathan Thomas | 18 | EU | Darlington 1883 | Youth Loan | None | SAFC |
  | | DF | Johnny Burn | 18 | EU | Darlington 1883 | Youth Loan | None | SAFC |
  | 27 | FW | Ji Dong-won | 21 | Non-EU | FC Augsburg | Loan | Winter | SAFC |
  | 31 | MF | David Meyler | 23 | EU | Hull City | Transfer | Winter | SAFC |
  | 39 | DF | Blair Adams | 21 | EU | Coventry City | Transfer | Winter | SAFC |
  | 27 | FW | Fraizer Campbell | 25 | EU | Cardiff City | Transfer | Winter | SAFC |
  | 7 | MF | Adam Reed | 21 | EU | Portsmouth | Loan | Winter | SAFC |
  | | FW | James McFadden | 29 | EU | Motherwell | Contract expired | Winter | SAFC |
  | 25 | GK | Jonny Maddison | 18 | EU | Crawley Town | Youth Loan | Winter | SAFC |
  | 27 | MF | Ahmed Elmohamady | 25 | Non-EU | Hull City | Loan | Winter | SAFC |
  | 28 | FW | Louis Saha | 34 | EU | Lazio | Mutual Consent | Winter | SAFC |
  | 22 | FW | Connor Wickham | 19 | EU | Sheffield Wednesday | Loan | None | SAFC |
  | | GK | Joel Dixon | 18 | EU | Workington | Youth Loan | None | Workington AFC |
  
  EU = if holds or not a European Union passport; Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; N = number on jersey; P = Position (for position name, pause mouse pointer on abbreviation); Name = Name on jersey (for more extensive name, pause mouse pointer on name); Age = age on the day of the signing; Moving from = only indicate the club the player was playing before start playing for this club in this season, for the type of the moving see Status column; Moving to = only indicates the club the player is going to play next, for the type of the moving see Status column; Ends = when the player's current contract ends; n/a = Not applicable.
  
  ## Awards
  
  ### Individual awards
  
  | Award | Month/Round/Year | Winner |
  | - | - | - |
  | Premier League Player of the Month | September | Steven Fletcher |
  | North-East Football Writers' Association's Player of the Year | 2012 | Simon Mignolet |
  