Sunderland legend wants strike duo to be paired together FORMER Sunderland striker Nick Sharkey believes Martin OâNeill must experiment with Steven Fletcher and Connor Wickham as a front pair. Fletcher and Wickham are yet to appear together for the Black Cats, albeit the formerâs injuries over recent weeks have reduced their chances of working in tandem. Sunderland boss OâNeill has generally favoured a lone striker in his year in charge at the Stadium of Light, with Stephane Sessegnon operating in the hole behind the frontman. But OâNeillâs two orthodox strikers are both in form, with seven-goal Fletcher topping Sunderlandâs scoring charts and Wickham demonstrating his improvement in all three of his outings this month. Sharkey, who spent eight years at Roker Park between 1959 and 1967, is confident the pair can work together, with Sessegnon remaining in his deep-lying role. âFletcherâs a really good player and I like to see strikers like that,â Sharkey told the Gazette. âIt was money well spent. There were a lot of doubters, but when he was playing for Wolves, he was always there. âThe only problem is you need someone alongside him. Thatâs my opinion. âSessegnonâs a good player, but heâs not an out-and-out striker. âPersonally I would play Sessegnon behind a front two and Iâd persevere with the young boy Wickham alongside Fletcher. âYou only improve from playing games. âYou canât improve if youâre sitting watching them or playing five or 10 minutes as a substitute. âThe other thing about the kid is heâs 6ft 4in. âNiall Quinn used to head balls on to Kevin Phillips and thatâs the sort of thing youâve got to think about. âHe doesnât have to be quick, just use his bulk in the box.â Sharkey insists Sunderland must also banish the trait of giving opposition sides head-starts if they are to move away from the relegation zone. The fifth-bottom Black Cats have taken the lead in just one of their last six games and found themselves 3-0 down against both Chelsea and Manchester United before threatening the title contenders. âThe seasonâs been a bit disappointing,â added Sharkey, the only living Sunderland player to have scored five goals in a single game. âI saw the Chelsea game and weâre giving teams too much head-start. âThe second half of that game, Chelsea were rattled and it was the same at Man U and against West Brom. âOnce theyâre 2-0 up and running, itâs too much to claw back.â
