SUNDERLAND boss Regis Le Bris admitted consistency is the key to unlocking his team’s full promotion potential after watching them concede a last gasp equaliser at Blackburn Rovers.

Roared on by more than seven thousand supporters, the visitors appeared set to claim a potentially pivotal victory in the race to secure a top six finish when first Chris Rigg and then Wilson Isidor replied to Yuki Ohashi’s opener.

But, in the 90th minute of a contest which saw Sunderland overcome a dreadfully slow start against opponents also vying for a place in the play-offs, Rovers substitute Harry Leonard scrambled home to ensure a typically breathless Championship fixture finished all square.

Despite declaring himself satisfied with the result, Le Bris said: “We probably needed to play a more consistent game. It was a little bit unstable at times.

“That, maybe, is a question of experience because we have a very young group. It is maybe about learning what the high standards are and having a picture in your mind about what is going to happen.

“But we reacted well to other situations. That shows the potential.

“It is not about halves, though. It is about 100 minutes of football. You need to manage this and be consistent all the time.”

Sunderland, who later lost Rigg to injury, were way below par before the break and deservedly fell behind when Ohashi pounced. But they improved immeasurably after the interval - something Le Bris attributed to mind-set rather than the game plan he had devised.

“It was clear, to begin with, that we were only 60 or 70 percent of what we wanted,” he said. “It wasn’t tactics. It was about levels and the levels we had weren’t the levels we needed.

“Then, we raised our standards and showed we could react to that.”

Revealing Rigg was due to be assessed overnight - “It is too early to say what it is but hopefully it’s nothing serious” - Le Bris saw Isidor hand Sunderland the lead after the midfielder’s leveller. But having failed to translate their dominance into a more healthy lead, the visitors were punished when Leonard struck during the closing stages.

However, Eliezer Mayenda should have ensured all three points returned with them to Wearside after finishing himself clean through on goal with only seconds remaining. Rather than finding the back of the net, his tame effort was blocked by Aynsley Pears.

“It is not a bad result, against a very strong team with a really good dynamic,” Le Bris said. “We will analyse and assess what happened, as we always do. But in the end, I think that is a good point.

“It did not surprise me, the intensity Blackburn showed because it is no coincidence they are high in the table as well.”