Chris Mepham opens up on "weird" Sunderland AFC situation after Luke O’Nien, Millwall penalty blunder | OneFootball

Chris Mepham offered his take on Luke O'Nien's penalty miss, with the Black Cats now missing four consecutive spot kicks.

Sunderland defender Chris Mepham revealed he was surprised to see Luke O’Nien step up to take the Black Cats’ penalty against Millwall, with the Wearside outfit failing to find the net from their last four spot kicks.

Regis Le Bris’s men did manage to come out on top against the Lions over the weekend but made it more challenging on themselves after failing to convert yet again from 12 yards later into the match, with O’Nien’s penalty being comfortably kept out by Millwall shot-stopper Lukas Jensen.

Sunderland strengthened their place inside the top six with a 1-0 victory, while they remain nine points off automatic promotion chasing Burnley and Leeds United, with the race for the top two set to go down to the wire.

It is now unknown who will be taking the next penalty that comes Sunderland’s way, with O’Nien adding to the missed list after Patrick Roberts failed to net against Sheffield United while Wilson Isidor spectacularly failed to convert two penalties at Burnley.

There now appears to be some confusion among the ranks at Sunderland over who the designated taker will be, and Chris Mepham offered his thoughts on the situation as it unfolded.

Chris Mepham surprised over Luke O’Nien penalty responsibility

As reported by the Northern Echo, on-loan Sunderland defender Chris Mepham admitted to being surprised to see Luke O’Nien step up from 12 yards against Millwall, but revealed he won’t be considering taking the next spot kick that comes their way.

“I'll probably take myself out of that situation,” Mepham joked.

"I was a little bit surprised (that O'Nien took it) but at the same time, knowing the amount of work Luke puts in and the amount of extras, focusing on his technique and his striking of the ball, he's probably arguably the best to step up and take a penalty, so I didn't have any doubts.

"But it's been a weird one with penalties this season. We've been unfortunate."

Sunderland will have to sort out penalty antics

There’s a clear issue in the Sunderland squad at the moment regarding penalties, with the club really struggling to find a reliable and designated taker.

It’s something plaguing the minds of all connected in red and white, and the club just need one penalty to hit the back of the net to restore confidence.

If the issue doesn’t get rectified, it could be problematic in the play-offs, with a penalty shootout potentially being required should the Black Cats fail to overcome their opponents over two legs, or in the final at Wembley.