IRISH GOALKEEPER Max O’Leary was Bristol City’s hero as they claimed a goalless draw with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

O’Leary made a series of superb first-half saves as Liam Manning’s side claimed their third clean sheet in a row.

Adil Aouchiche and Bradley Dack both hit the crossbar as Sunderland turned in a much-improved display from the Bank Holiday battering at the hands of Blackburn.

However, the Black Cats were unable to find a way past an inspired O’Leary and have now won just one of their last nine matches as their season peters out.

Sunderland were the better side from the outset, displaying a much greater degree of intensity and aggression than they had displayed in their 5-1 home defeat to Blackburn at the start of the week.

Dan Ballard thought he had claimed a ninth-minute opener when he headed goalwards after a corner was nodded back across goal, but O’Leary did superbly to claw the ball away.

Sunderland threatened again three minutes later, only for Aouchiche to stab wide from inside the area after Dan Neil’s blocked shot rebounded invitingly into his path.

Jack Clarke was back in the home side’s starting line-up for the first time in more than a month after recovering from an ankle injury and the winger went close midway through the first half as he fired in a side-footed strike that was parried by O’Leary.

The Bristol City goalkeeper was in inspired form for much of the afternoon, producing a brilliant double-save to ensure the scoresheet remained blank shortly after the half-hour mark.

His first save prevented Jobe Bellingham from firing home from inside the area and he then produced an even better stop to keep out Clarke’s follow-up effort.

Two minutes later and O’Leary was at it again. This time it was Neil who was denied initially, with the Robins keeper parrying the midfielder’s shot, and when Aouchiche nodded the rebound towards goal, O’Leary displayed superb reflexes to touch the ball onto the crossbar.

Bristol City had not threatened at all at that stage, but the visitors finally recorded their first effort at goal in first-half stoppage time.

Anthony Patterson parried Nakhi Wells’ angled shot and Scott Twine’s follow-up effort would have gone in had a backtracking Luke O’Nien not produced a crucial block from just in front of the goal-line.

Patterson was called into action again in the early stages of the second half, saving from Matty James after Haydon Roberts nodded a free-kick back across goal, but with the wind swirling around the Stadium of Light, neither side was especially fluent as they pressed to try to force a breakthrough.

That said, however, Sunderland came within inches of claiming a winner with 17 minutes left. Neil flicked on Trai Hume’s cross, enabling substitute Dack to power in a diving header that cannoned off the underside of the crossbar before rebounding to safety.

Elsewhere, Irish international Mikey Johnston was on target, but Stoke picked up a precious point in their fight for Championship survival as they came back from 2-0 to draw 2-2 with West Brom.

Celtic loanee Johnston broke the deadlock with his seventh goal since making the switch from the Scottish giants as he smashed home at the near post after being found by Grady Diangana.

In League One, Ireland U21 international Ollie O’Neill was on target as Leyton Orient beat relegation-threatened Cheltenham Town 3-1.

In the same division, ex-Ireland U21 international Jordan Shipley registered what proved to be a consolation as Shrewsbury Town lost 3-1 away to top-of-the-table Portsmouth.

In League Two, Paddy Madden hit a hat-trick for top-of-the-table Stockport County in their 3-1 victory over Sutton United.

Finally, it was a day to forget for Irish quintet Sean Maguire, Corey Whelan, Joshua Kayode, Georgie Kelly and Sean Grehan, as they are part of a Carlisle squad that has become just the second team to get relegated from the EFL this season.

Kelly started and Maguire came off the bench amid a 2-0 loss to Northampton Town, which means they will be playing League Two football next season.

Additional reporting by Paul Fennessy

English Championship results on Saturday:

Norwich 1 Ipswich 0

Middlesbrough 2 Swansea 0

Stoke 2 West Brom 2

Cardiff 1 Hull 3

Coventry 2 Leeds 1

QPR 0 Sheffield Wednesday 2

Blackburn 0 Southampton 0

Watford 0 Preston 0

Leicester 2 Birmingham 1

Huddersfield 1 Millwall 0

Sunderland 0 Bristol City 0

Played Friday

Rotherham 0 Plymouth 1