Match Day Thread Sunderland v Accrington Stanley – Saturday 24th April - KO 15:00

Sunderland welcome Accrington Stanley to the Stadium of Light in the SkyBet League One.

Last time out Sunderland drew with Hull and Accrington beat Doncaster.
Sunderland remain in third place but are now 11 points adrift of the league leaders Hull City and 7 points behind Peterborough with four games left to play.
Aiden McGeady has a badly bruised foot, he's 50/50 to start but could sit this one out again. Vokins, Flanagan & McLaughlan are not available but could be back before the play-offs.
Accrington have been on a poor run up until Tuesday night and have had some heavy defeats including a 7-0 thrashing at Peterborough.
Lee Johnson:
“I think that’s always the preferred shape. I haven’t always been able to play that, but it’s what we’ll recruit to – a six, an eight and a ten.”
“Sometimes, you play with two eights or two sixes and a ten, to whatever, but that version of 4-3-3 is what we’re well suited to.”
“For whatever reason, sometimes this season we haven’t been able to do that. Mainly, it’s because we have five centre-halves out injured.”
“If you saw his foot, you wouldn’t believe it, it doesn’t match up in terms of how bad it looks, but how good it feels. It’s absolutely black. He’s been stamped on the top of his foot, but he played on, which shows you what a warrior he is.”
“He’s a tough little cookie and plays through niggles, but it was a bad one. He tried to take his boot off at half-time in the last game, and almost couldn’t. He then had to get it back on and didn’t really say anything, but then when he took it off after the game, his foot really swelled up.”
“We tried to rush him through, but he just couldn’t do it so we had him X-rayed today, and that was positive. It’s a case of trying to flush this swelling out as much as possible now. It’s a best-case scenario in terms of the X-ray. We couldn’t have asked for any more in that sense.”
“I’d put Aiden at 50-50 (for the weekend), he’s tough, like I’ve said, so he wants to play. He’s still very bruised, but at the same time it is a superficial injury."
“It’s not anything bone-related or ligament-related, so if he can handle the pain of smashing one in from 25 yards, hopefully in the top corner, then he can play. It’s as simple as that.”

John Coleman:
“They played how I know we can and I don’t think that, on the balance of play and chances created, anyone could argue that we were worthy winners."
“Our problem this season has been consistency and we haven’t been consistent enough, but there are four games to play and the goals are to win all of them and see where it takes us."
“You have got to be realistic, we have 61 points with four games to go and that set of players should be pleased with that. They have done well and we want to finish strongly and then look forward to next season.”
On Sunderland:
“They’ll be going in with a lot to play for, but so have we and I’ll never say never. You’ve just got to see the run that Wigan are on at the moment, why can’t we be like that.”


Match Appointments:
Referee: DARREN DRYSDALE
Assistant Referees: Wayne Grunnill and Christopher Ward
Fourth Official: Peter Wright

Team Line ups
Sunderland: Burge; Hume, O’Nien, Wright, Power, Leadbitter, Winchester, Scowen, Gooch; Jones, Wyke.

Subs: Patterson, Younger, O’Brien, Neil, Diamond, Maguire, Stewart
Injured: Xhemajli, Willis, Flanagan, McLaughlin, Vokins, Sanderson, McGeady

Accrington Stanley: (4-2-3-1) Savin, Rodgers, Nottingham, Barclay, Burgess, Conneely, Butcher, McConville, Phillips, Bishop, Charles
Subs: Smyth, Russell, Buckley, Uwakwe, Perritt, Mansell, Morgan
Injured: Pritchard

Betting Odds:
Sunderland 1/2 Accrington 21/4 Draw 3/1

As it Stands:

My two pence:
I thought we were unlucky not to get three points at Hull, they didn’t look very good in the first half but came back into it in the second half. We almost nicked it at the end with the two chances from O’Brien but at least we ended the losing run.
Accrington were lucky to beat Doncaster, their second penalty award was an amusing bit of goal keeping. Hopefully we will use this game to improve our goal difference.

I’m going for a 2-0 home win.

Live stream £10
https://www.safc.com/news/team-news/live-video

Ha’way the Lads

 

Is Geeds definitely out?

Think we should win this regardless. No harm in resting him for a week or so as we have (hopefully) 3 massive games added to the end of the season

 

Just my guess - should find out soon

 

cheers again RTB...

is volkins still with us, noticed he is missing from your 'injured' list, other than that i hope to see that team.

shame geads is out but in all honesty i think he needs the break, been below par for a few games (he is not alone there like) and should it come to play offs we will need him firing.

think this will be very stop/start with them slowing it down as much as they can, expect a lot of players dropping in the box when we get crosses in!!

 

Vokins can't train due to this heart murmur he experienced after getting covid. Apparently he can't do anything above walking speed,

With Hume fit again, I'd be tempted just to send the kid back to Southampton

 

Oh, is that the ref that 'rubbed' heads with that Ipswich player? Should have had him for Hull last game. He'd have shoved the linesmans flag up the players arse.

 

Great thread us usual rtb.
I'm going for 4 nil home win.
Wyke x2, Jones, Gooch.
Coupled with a Lincoln v Hull draw and a Charlton v Peterborough home win, the table could look a whole lot better 5pm Saturday.

 

I'm confident. I'm going for a 4_ 0 victory to us. Too late to secure an automatic promotion place unfortunately imo

Before this season started I would have taken a play off place. My hopes were raised beyond expectation when we had our 14 match unbeaten run although most performances were not exactly inspiring.

Still I live in hope.

HTL

 

I think lj said his foot was black but not Broken, can’t see him playing with a heavily bruised foot like

 

Great thread as ever RTB, it's only Thursday but I'm as confident of a return to winning ways. 2-0 to the Lad's.

Ha’way the Lads

 

He's 50/50 for the weekend
Flanagan is "back on the grass" but not in full training yet

 

“I’d put Aiden at 50-50 (for the weekend),” said Johnson. “He’s tough, like I’ve said, so he wants to play. He’s still very bruised, but at the same time it is a superficial injury.
“It’s not anything bone-related or ligament-related, so if he can handle the pain of smashing one in from 25 yards, hopefully in the top corner, then he can play. It’s as simple as that.”

 

another well done informative thread RTB after ordering a pint of what Snaggletooth and Jack have been drinking ill have a shilling on a 4-0 anarl yore weak against long shots convinced me, as Leds and Goochie likes a stab at them from distance

 

Vokins would be a perfect fit with our team if he can only do walking speed at the moment. We either start quick and slow right down to a crawl, or we go 2-0 down before realising we are meant to be playing a game of football. Vokins is a good lad and I'm sorry he hasn't been as much help to you guys as we hoped he would. He can turn in some very good performances but as with most of the Saints squad, those good performances are few and far between at the moment.

Anyway, all the best again for Saturday and I will be rooting for to to swagger past Peterborough before the end of the season, or failing that, to win the play-offs.

 

Thanks - appreciate that

 

It is indeed

 

Confident for this one. Here’s hoping we can come out of the traps like we did against Hull Time for a good solid confidence building win

 

John Coleman - a fairly balanced view and says a few good things about us, maybe he's looking for a job

 

Spare a thought for the Doncaster goalie for the 2nd goal

 

Should have a bath or a shower then.