Sunderland

North East football journalist Mark Carruthers predicts that Sunderland are set for another year in the Championship - but that their improvement this season should be reason enough for celebration.

The Black Cats are currently fourth on the table and eight points short of an automatic promotion spot, but are seven points clear in the play-offs race.

Carruthers, though, doesn't see Sunderland being joyous at Wembley on 24 May should their promotion hopes come down to the one-off showpiece.

"I think they will get to the play-off final but I think they will lose it," he told BBC Radio Sunderland.

"I think you have to look at the bigger picture with Sunderland and look at how far they've come this season from where they were last year.

"The progress from where they were 12 months ago is monumental."

Sunderland finished 16th last season with 56 points, a total the current side have already surpassed under Regis Le Bris, with 65 from 35 matches.

You can listen to the full interview and more on the Total Sport podcast.

Sunderland midfielders Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg have been named joint best young men's player at the North East Football Writer's awards.

The pair received the same amount of votes after impressing under boss Regis Le Bris, each making 31 appearances for the Black Cats this season.

Former Sunderland defender Darren Williams has been particularly impressed with 19-year-old Bellingham's improvement.

"Last season, I said I don't think Jobe's work rate was there, but this season he's changed that. He's been a massive, massive part of this season," Williams told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"The two lads, they stand out. They're amazing talents and obviously got a bright future."

Bellingham made his debut for England Under-21s team in November and is rumoured to have caught the attention of senior boss Thomas Tuchel.

Sunderland next face Cardiff City on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

You can listen to the full interview and more on the Total Sport podcast.

Could a front-two combination of Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda work wonders at Sunderland?

Mayenda impressed with his double against Sheffield Wednesday last time out but faces a tough task to break into the starting line-up given boss Regis Le Bris' favoured 4-3-3 formation.

"They are both quick, they play on the shoulder - they are a nightmare for centre-backs," former Black Cats defender Danny Collins told BBC Radio Sunderland.

The Wearsiders next host relegation-threatened Cardiff City on Saturday, before welcoming Preston North End three days later.

But with the Bluebirds facing Sunderland's promotion rivals Burnley on Tuesday while the Black Cats enjoy a midweek free of competitive football, Collins thinks the weekend might be the perfect time to try out a 4-4-2 line-up.

"Why not go with it?" he said. "Go with a two-man midfield, maybe Jobe Bellingham and Dan Neil. Romaine Mundle on the wing, maybe Patrick Roberts on the right.

"What don't you like as a centre-back or a full-back? It's the ball constantly getting dropped in behind you, running back towards your own goal with a flier on your shoulder - so we will have to wait and see."

You can listen to Collins' full thoughts and more on the Total Sport podcast.

"Sunderland just want to concrete that play-off spot. Get two or three wins under their belts and see where it takes them."

Daring to dream, Black Cats fans?

BBC Newcastle's Nick Barnes is joined by former Sunderland defender Gary Bennett as they react to Sunderland's win against Sheffield Wednesday.

You can find further reaction and more on Total Sport Sunderland.

Image source, Getty Images

Sunderland head coach was delighted that his decision to play Eliezer Mayenda instead of Wilson Isidor in the side's win at Sheffield Wednesday.

Young Spaniard Mayenda came in as a replacement for Black Cats top scorer Isidor, who was only a substitute and the teenager came up with both goals in the crucial 2-1 victory.

It got them back on track in the hunt for promotion after successive losses as they ground out three points at Hillsborough.

"Wilson did really well this season and is one of the best strikers in the league, for sure," Le Bris told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"But we need two or three strikers to be competitive in this league so maybe it was the right time for Wilson to recover a little bit and Eliezer was ready.

"He trained properly, he was connected with the team even with less game time and he showed his good qualities this evening."

Kieron Brady
Former Sunderland midfielder & BBC Radio Newcastle summariser

If Wilson Isidor's header had gone in against Hull City we would not be having this conversation, but you don't have to be medically qualified to say by dint of his age, Chris Rigg is still physically developing and is being asked to do a job on a regular basis when he's very much at a developmental stage.

To that end, you can understand those changes allied with the demands placed upon you can have an impact.

But I just cannot countenance the idea of managers or coaches talking about a team being tired. A team cannot be tired.

Individuals have the experience of being fatigued but the concern is, and it's not just Sunderland, it's a part of football discourse and it's been used as an excuse.

I don't often hear managers and coaches talk about tiredness in the aftermath of a victory or a good performance.

I don't believe it's good management to make public commentary that your charges are reaching a critical point of the season and you are, albeit unintentionally, putting into their minds the thought that they're tired or fatigued.

If in individual or private conversations Regis Le Bris looks at data and it suggests that certain players are not fulfilling the types of figures they did earlier in the season, then he's within his rights to do that.

But I really don't see the benefits from managers or coaches wheeling out terms like fatigue and tiredness in the aftermath, for the most part, of adverse outcomes.

Kieron Brady was speaking on the latest episode of Total Sport Sunderland, which you can listen to via BBC Sounds here.

Luke O'Nien will make his 300th appearance for Sunderland, if selected against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night.

The midfielder joined the Black Cats from Wycombe in 2018 and was part of the side which won promotion to the Championship via the play-offs in 2022.

O'Nien has only missed one league game so far this season with Sunderland in the thick of the promotion race.

"He came in as a central midfielder and he's played everywhere else and playing that number of games shows you're fit, reliable and he's never let anyone down," former Sunderland striker Martin Smith told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"It's no disrespect but he's got the most out of everything he's got - he looks into his game and every fine detail."

The 30-year-old has scored 23 goals during his time at the Stadium of Light and Smith believes he is a vital part of Regis Le Bris' side.

"Sometimes on the outside you don't see what an individual brings on a day-to-day basis and what a manager sees having someone in the team, maybe not in terms of performance all the time but what he brings to everyone else," Smith added.

13th placed Sheffield Wednesday host fourth placed Sunderland on Friday (20:00 GMT) as both teams look for a first win in three league games that will strengthen their position on the Championship table.

The Black Cats have fallen away from their top three rivals after two straight defeats sees them eight points adrift of second placed Sheffield United.

While the Owls are just six points shy of a play off spot, but their two successive losses puts them at the latter end of a top half cramped with promotion chasers.

• Sheffield Wednesday have lost three of their last four league games against Sunderland (W1), losing those three matches by a combined 12-0 scoreline.

• Sunderland have lost just two of their last nine away league games against Sheffield Wednesday (W5 D2), winning 3-0 on their last visit to Hillsborough in September 2023.

• Sheffield Wednesday have lost each of their last two league games and will be looking to avoid losing three in succession for the first time since August 2024, a run which began with a 4-0 defeat to Sunderland.

• Sunderland have lost their last two league games, as many as they had in their previous 25 in the Championship (W12 D11).

• Sunderland's Wilson Isidor has been involved in five goals in his last six league games (4 goals, 1 assist), as many as in his previous 18 appearances (5 goals).

Image source, Rex Features

Sunderland's home meeting with Sheffield Wednesday on Friday is "huge" in terms of their promotion hopes, according to former Black Cats striker Martin Smith.

They have lost their past two Championship matches to slip eight points behind the automatic promotion places and face a Wednesday side still harbouring serious play-off hopes.

"Friday is huge because are you looking at the top of the table or what's coming behind you?" Smith told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"If you go and win Friday you're still looking at that top two and things can change massively if the results go your way on Saturday.

"If you get beaten you're suddenly looking over your shoulder if Coventry win, so I think Friday is absolutely massive in terms of what could happen leading towards the end of the season."

Sunderland were beaten 2-1 at leaders Leeds United 10 days ago and followed that up with a home defeat by Hull City last Saturday.

Smith, who scored 25 goals in more than 100 appearances for the Wearside club in the 1990s, is hoping a night game at the Stadium of Light can get his former side back on track.

"Night games tend to be a higher tempo, the atmosphere is better so there should be no worries about being up for it, so hopefully it's the one that gets everyone thinking positively again."

Image source, Getty Images

Former Sunderland defender Darren Williams says automatic promotion from the Championship is "definitely reachable" for the Black Cats.

Regis Le Bris' side are fourth in the table and eight points behind Sheffield United in second with 12 games remaining.

Williams told BBC's Total Sport podcast he believes Sunderland can finish in the top two "without a shadow of a doubt".

"I wouldn't take my eye off second spot to be quite honest, I think it's reachable," he said.

Enzo Le Fee and Dan Ballard both sustained injuries in the 1-0 defeat at home to Hull City on Saturday - the first time Sunderland have lost two consecutive league games this season.

"It might be a glimmer of hope that we get into second spot, obviously with having two knocks with the injuries that we've just taken on board," Williams added.

"But there's no way on earth that we cannot make that. But you've got to be realistic and think you can't just rely on the fact that we're 12 points safely in the play-offs because then that complacency kicks in."

Listen to Darren Williams on the Total Sport Sunderland AFC podcast on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Rex Features

Former Sunderland defender Danny Collins thinks Regis Le Bris has a decision to make about under-fire keeper Anthony Patterson.

The 24-year-old was criticised for his part in Leeds United's late winning goal last week before fumbling Joe Gelhardt's near-post corner into his own net against Hull City on Saturday to make it two successive defeats for Sunderland for the first time this season.

Collins - who won the Championship with the Black Cats in 2005 and 2007 - told BBC Radio Newcastle that back-up Simon Moore might start against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday (20:00 GMT) should Le Bris opt to take Patterson "out of the firing line".

"The spotlight's on him, coming off the back of the goals Leeds scored, balls coming into the six-yard box. Teams are going to have a look at that now, I'm sure Hull looked at it," he said.

"It's a flat ball that's whipped near-post. He tries to collect it and gather it in, he gets a glove on it, it goes through his hands and drops into the back of the net. It looks horrible, it is horrible, and it's cost Sunderland points."

Moore, 34, started four games in October and November, keeping three clean sheets, when Patterson was sidelined through injury, having kept six clean sheets himself in Sunderland's opening 11 Championship matches.

Collins added: "I feel for Patto, he's come in for a little bit of flak in recent weeks, hopefully he can bounce back from it.

"His position is possibly under threat - I listen to what the fans are saying. Simon Moore came in earlier in the season and did quite well. He's an experienced goalkeeper.

"(Le Bris) may well think I'll just take him out of the firing line. He is still a young keeper and he might feel 'I'll just give him a little break and bring (Moore) in'."

Image source, Getty Images

Sunderland have promised "the strongest possible action" after Romaine Mundle said he had been targeted by online racist abuse.

The 21-year-old midfielder shared a discriminatory post sent to him on his Instagram account after Saturday's 1-0 home defeat by Championship strugglers Hull.

Sunderland said they had a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of discrimination and vowed to track down and punish those responsible.

"The club will continue to work with the authorities and the EFL to ensure the well-being of our players and staff," they said in a statement.

"We will also continue to report all forms of online discrimination to [Instagram owners] Meta and urge them to do more to remove this unacceptable behaviour from their platforms.

"It has no place in our game or society and we will support the strongest possible action against those responsible."

Image source, Rex Features

Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris described Anthony Patterson's own goal in their defeat by Hull as a "silly mistake".

Le Bris told BBC Radio Newcastle: "It's a shame because in these types of games silly mistakes can change things. For sure, we have to think about these mistakes because we have to improve our game. It's not like a coincidence.

"The energy of the team was good and positive and they tried to start the game properly but the own goal changed the dynamic of the game because the opponent used a low, compact block and it was a different problem.

"It's the 34th game, the season is long and we have a short squad so we can understand that we have a low point in our dynamic. The game wasn't horrible but it wasn't the best performance so far."

He confirmed that Dan Ballard and Enzo Le Fee both seem to have hamstring injuries.

Image source, Getty Images

Regis Le Bris is ready to pitch winger Romaine Mundle back into the first-team mix against Hull City on Saturday after more than three months on the sidelines.

Mundle, 21, has been absent with a hamstring injury since early November but was an unused substitute on Monday when the Black Cats were beaten in stoppage time by Championship pacesetters Leeds.

But following another week on the training ground, Mundle is firmly in contention for a return against the Tigers on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

"Romaine should be OK now," Le Bris said. "We felt against Leeds it was just a little bit too soon. It's not just about the minutes, it's about a strong opponent in and out of possession.

"But I think he is ready now. We didn't rush the process at Leeds, especially because of the intensity of that game. We felt it was just a little bit too early for him but for now, I think it will be OK."

Le Bris says Mundle's return has contributed to a situation where Sunderland's bench strength is better than at any time this season.

"We will have more options now, I think our bench is the strongest it has been. It is good to refresh the team because the other players have played a lot of minutes, they need help and energy."

How will Sunderland react after suffering late heartbreak against Leeds on Monday? They were on course to close the gap on the league leaders until Pascal Struijk's late double saw them suffer a 2-1 defeat at Elland Road.

But it's back to the Stadium of Light for the fourth-placed Black Cats who could reduce the deficit between themselves and second-placed Sheffield United to five points with a win. The Blades welcome Leeds to Bramall Lane on Monday.

Hull go into this off the back of no wins in their past three games but head coach Ruben Selles said his side have to be happy with the 1-1 draw against Norwich, last Saturday.

Relegation-threatened Tigers are just above the drop zone in 21st with one point separating them and Derby.

• Sunderland have lost just one of their last 12 league games against Hull City (W5 D6), though that sole defeat came in this exact fixture last season (1-0).

• Hull City are unbeaten across their last three away league games against Sunderland (W1 D2), since a 1-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light in January 2018.

• Sunderland suffered only their fifth league defeat of the season last time out to Leeds in a 2-1 loss at Elland Road. It was only their second loss of the season when scoring first, along with their 3-2 defeat at Plymouth in September.

• Since his first Championship start for Hull on 21 January, Joe Gelhardt leads all his teammates for shots (13), dribbles (23), duels won (30), ball carry distance (708.7m), expected goals (1.2) and he has created the joint most chances in open play (5).

• Sunderland's Wilson Isidor has scored or assisted in each of his last five Championship appearances (4 goals, 1 assist). He is yet to score more than once in a game this season, with his 12 goals the most by a Black Cats player in a league season without doing so since David Connolly netted 13 in 2006-07.

Image source, PA Media

Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris said he was proud of his players despite Monday's damaging late defeat at Leeds.

Le Bris' side were good value for their lead and appeared on course to cut the gap on Leeds to four points at the top of the Championship before Pascal Struijk's late double.

The Black Cats are now eight points adrift of the top two after their eight-game unbeaten league run was halted.

Le Bris said: "I think it was fair for us to score the goal and to be leading at half-time.

"I thought the second half was more difficult because they built strong momentum and we didn't find the solution to break their dynamic.

"With the crowd, the energy of the stadium - it was always increasing and even with our subs, we didn't find the solution to change this energy."