Sunderland host Walsall in the Emirates FA Cup round 2 replay Last time out Sunderland's game with Accrington was abandoned and Walsall beat local rivals Coventry. The Black Cats expect to have the same squad available that played against Walsall last week with the exception of Adam Matthews who was injured on Saturday. Duncan Watmore, Dylan McGeouch and Lee Cattermole could feature, but Charlie Wyke has just returned to training and is unlikely to be involved. The winners of this game will be away to Bolton Wanderers in January. Jack Ross: “Naturally, for me, the F.A.Cup is still a big tournament. To progress in it, we’re going to have to work harder than we’ve done in a lot of recent years because of when we entered the tournament. Again, the incentive is to just progress to the next round, regardless of the fact that although the teams that enter the competition just to keep progressing, that’s what we want to do.” Dean Keates: “We’ve played better and lost games. We’ve better played and drew, up at Scunthorpe for instance and in other games. So we will take it, we needed a win, it didn’t matter how it came, we will take a scruffy win." “We wanted to have a look at something different – we’ve got one or two carrying niggles, both wide players have been affected by something the last few weeks and were not fully 100% fit." Form: Match Appointments: Referee: Carl Boyeson Assistants: Ken Haycock & Chris Isherwood Fourth Official: Tom Reeves Team Line ups Sunderland: McLaughlin, Oviedo, Flanagan, Baldwin, James, Honeyman (c), Power, Gooch, McGeady, Maguire, Maja Subs: Ruiter, Loovens, Bainbridge, Cattermole, O’Nien, McGeough, Watmore Injured: Wyke, Hume, Robson, Matthews, Love Walsall: Roberts, Delvin, Martin, Guthrie, Leahy, Wilson, Kinsella, Dobson, Ginelly, Gordon, Ferrier Substitutes: Morris, Cook, Dunn, Johnson, Fitzwater, Osbourne, Ronan Injured: tbc Betting Odds: H 8/15 A 29/10 D 5/1 My two pence: Third time lucky - is anyone else just sick of playing this lot? I reckon Jack will go with a strong team to see this one out. Hopefully we don't pick up any new injuries moving into the busy Christmas / New Year fixtures. My guess is a 2-0 home win. Ha’way the Lads
I'll settle for any home win, a 1-0 own goal deflected off the keepers backside will do, just get through to round three by hook or by crook.
Can’t go to either game this week. Working away tomorrow night and it’s my wedding anniversary on Saturday. Surely we’ve got to beat thus lot sometime??
Must save themselves for bogey team Bristol rovers. Next 5 matches league, rovers sat, Ports away 22nd, Bradford h 40,000 ! 26th, - Shrews h 29th,- Blackpool a seaside Jan 1st ! not a good day out, then the massive season deciding match Luton home Jan 12th !. will be Charlton away 5th Jan if we lose tonight by the way.
Id go... ..........Mcglaughlin......... .........Loovens..Baldwin.... Gooch........................Oviedo ........Mumba..Mcgeouch.ONien Watmore.......Maja........Sinclair..
This weekly run of Saturday/Tuesday is becoming relentless for us fans so what must it be like for the players. Ross has left Rooch out the squad and has Maja on the bench with O'Nein filling in at right back. McGeough is back in midfield with Catts on the bench. Sinclair and Watmore are up front.
