Sunderland

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Former Sunderland defender Gary Bennett believes the Black Cats need to start playing "uglier" if they are to reignite a winning streak.

Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Bristol City, in which Patrick Roberts rescued a stoppage-time point, was Sunderland's sixth draw in their past eight Championship games.

"Sometimes you've got to learn how to win ugly," Bennett said on BBC Radio Newcastle.

"We are just looking for that so-called perfect goal, aren't we? Where we can walk the ball into the net, or it's a flick, or it's a volley.

"It's not an ugly goal like what Bristol City scored."

The Robins took a 1-0 lead in the 68th minute after defensive blunders provided Luke McNally the opportunity to score.

Roberts found an equaliser in time added on to preserve the side's unbeaten record at home but Bennett feels that the team's niceties are proving too costly.

"Clear the ball," he said, regarding the Robins' goal. "We are too nice. We had three options to clear that ball and it ends up in the back of the net."

You can listen to the full post-match reaction on BBC Sounds.

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Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris says players returning from injury before Tuesday's Championship match against Bristol City is a "good problem" to have selection-wise.

Saturday's 2-1 win over Stoke City at the Stadium of Light was the Black Cats' first victory in seven matches and with defender Dennis Cirkin returning to the squad at the weekend, Le Bris is happy with the options he has available to him.

"It's a good problem for me to have good players in the same area, where they can push each other," the Frenchman told BBC Radio Newcastle.

Former West Ham academy product Aji Alese has deputised in Cirkin's absence and Le Bris says competition for places will benefit his side, who have the chance to climb back into the automatic promotion places in midweek.

"When we have a suspension or injuries, we still have a good back four," he added.

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Sunderland's 2-1 victory over Stoke City on Saturday ended a six-match winless run in the Championship and keeps them within two points of the automatic promotion places.

The Black Cats are one of four Championship sides yet to beaten at home.

Only six sides have more than Bristol City's three away victories in the Championship this season, a record which has them ninth in the table.

But the Robins have lost their past two away games at Watford and Portsmouth respectively without scoring a goal.

• Sunderland have won just three of their past 17 league games against Bristol City (D8 L6), failing to score on nine separate occasions during that run, including in both of their matches last season.

• Bristol City have lost just one of their last nine away league games against Sunderland (W3 D5), a 2-0 defeat in December 1994.

• Sunderland are unbeaten in five midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (W2 D3), conceding just one goal in this run.

• Bristol City have only won three of their past 18 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) away league games (D4 L11).

• Bristol City's Liam Manning has only lost one of his four managerial league games against Sunderland (W2 D1), a 2-1 defeat with MK Dons in August 2021 in League One.

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Sunderland winger Tom Watson was described as a "well-designed gift" by his boss after scoring his first two goals for the Championship high fliers to help beat Stoke City on storm-hit Wearside.

Watson drilled a low shot for his side's seventh-minute equaliser and got a deflected 86th-minute winner to keep fourth-placed Sunderland within two points of leaders Leeds - and earn a first victory in seven matches.

Having made his first Championship start for Sunderland only in November, 18-year-old Watson has quickly established himself in the absence of the injured Romaine Mundle.

And, having also been denied both by the post and Stoke keeper Viktor Johanssson, on another day he might even have had a hat-trick.

"Players need time to adapt," said Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris. "But, so far, Tommy has developed very fast.

"Now he will face the difficulties every player has to face, such as consistency and needing to defend as well. There are many things to develop.

"It was an interesting game for him. When you have a winger with the ability to run inside and outside and cross, it's a gift for a coach and a team.

"He works well. The system is well designed for him. We can use him very quickly and play to his main strengths.

"He's powerful, he can dribble, he can move inside and outside and he scored. He's very strong, a very good winger in this league."

Sunderland now face another home game, against Bristol City on Tuesday, and Le Bris hopes for a bit more kindness from the elements.

"With the weather, it was difficult," he said. "But we deserved to win.

"We had many chances to score and we had to wait until the end. But we didn't give up and this was the most important thing."

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Sunderland looked virtually unstoppable until November - but the early-season front runners have now dropped to fourth place after failing to win any of their six games during the past month.

The Black Cats, who were beaten 1-0 by new leaders Sheffield United last weekend, need to rediscover the winning habit at home to Stoke City as they bid to make up ground.

Stoke, who are 14th in the table, began last month with successive wins against Derby and Blackburn but have since lost momentum, registering three consecutive draws prior to a 2-0 defeat against Burnley.

● Sunderland have lost four of their last six league games against Stoke (W2), losing those matches by a combined score line of 12-3.

● Stoke have won two of their last three away league games against Sunderland (L1), as many victories as across their prior 24 such matches combined beforehand (D9 L13).

● Sunderland are one of only three sides without a win in the Championship since the start of November (D5 L1), with the Black Cats scoring the joint-fewest goals in that time (3).

● Stoke are winless in their last four league games (D3 L1), and could fail to score in three successive league matches for the first time since November 2023.

● Only Sheffield United (65 minutes 01 seconds) have been trailing for less time in the Championship this season than Sunderland (104:37). The Black Cats have only gone behind in one home league game this season, a 2-2 draw with Leeds in October.

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Sunderland host Stoke City in the Championship on Saturday (kick-off 12:30 GMT).

Here's a recap of the main lines from Black Cats boss Regis Le Bris' pre-match news conference:

• Defender Dennis Cirkin is available after being ruled out of the past three matches due to a wrist injury.

• On Chris Mepham's suspension: "The back four is a big strength for us because we have many options, even with suspensions or injuries. It's the rules, and we have to deal with the rules."

• On converting their chances: "It's the only focus we should have at the minute - how we can create more chances and how we can convert the chances we have to score. I think we have the potential, and I think we have the players in the team to do it."

• He feels that the solution is within the team and not in the transfer window: "We talked a lot about a striker at the beginning of the season. We said if we don't have a striker, we can't score, but so far we've scored 26, so it's possible to score with other players."

• He spoke about last week being "emotionally intense" and it being important to recover.

• On getting back to the top of the table: "This league is not finished. It's very long, so you can struggle for a short period, which was the case, I think. But the foundations are good, so we have to believe in it."

• On Stoke: "We face them three times in one month, so by the end, we will be best friends, I think - we will see with the results. Tough game; a good team with good players."

• On the fans and their impact: "They deserve to have positive emotions, and we need them to give back. Sometimes it's like a circle; it can be vicious, or it can be the opposite. So we can create a new positive dynamic with just one good result."

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Sunderland midfielder Luke O'Nien says he will learn from his mistake which led to Chris Mepham being sent off in the Black Cats' 1-0 defeat by Sheffield United.

A loose pass from O'Nien inside his own half was seized on by Blades striker Tyrese Campbell and he was brought down just outside the box by Wales defender Mepham, who was given a straight red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity.

"Listen, I put my hands up for Mephs getting sent off," O'Nien told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"I just got caught in the middle there and, like all mistakes I've made throughout my career, I will watch it back, learn from it and get better.

"We'll do that collectively and individually and that's why, as a team, we've moved forward over the last four years."

The Black Cats had started the match much the better of the two sides and although Blades defender Harry Souttar also received his marching orders just before half-time, Mepham's dismissal signalled a change in momentum.

Defeat extended Sunderland's winless run to six games, a sequence that has seen them slip from the top of the Championship table to fourth.

"The image of them celebrating will stay in the back of our minds," O'Nien added.

"Days like this will be our motivation for what will be a successful season for us."

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It is one of the most eagerly anticipated dates in the football calendar as Premier League and Championship clubs join the FA Cup action from round three.

The draw will take place on Monday, 2 December from 19:00 GMT and can be watched live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has said he will not rush full-back Dennis Cirkin back to first-team action ahead of their match with Sheffield United on Friday.

The Frenchman confirmed the 22-year-old had returned to training after undergoing wrist surgery but did not confirm whether he would feature at Bramall Lane.

"He is OK now and ready to train but because he missed two weeks and we have other solutions in the squad right now, we don’t have to rush the process," Le Bris told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"I trust Dennis, he is very important to us but at the minute we shouldn’t be too risky to use him tomorrow.

Trai Hume returned to the side in Tuesday's 0-0 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion at left-back with Luke O'Nien filling in at right-back and Le Bris is currently comfortable with the options he has to hand.

"It is a good problem for me because if we have more depth in the squad, with different styles of play, we can manage different solutions," he added.

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Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris believes that the 'exciting' challenge of facing Sheffield United can push his team to their limit.

The Black Cats have slipped back to fourth in the Championship after five successive draws.

But victory at Bramall Lane on Friday (20:00 GMT) would see them leapfrog their opponents, Burnley and Leeds United and go back to the top, at least ahead of Saturday's fixtures.

"It's a new scenario with new elements to master and a different style of team," he told BBC Radio Newcastle. "We need strong opponents to grow up, and to find our limits, to push and to recognise that we are doing well."

Despite their five draws, Sunderland are unbeaten in 10 league games now and continue to overachieve.

Now they face a Sheffield United side who have won their last seven matches at home, all without conceding a goal.

"We have a strong team, we can manage different scenarios and we are really excited by this new challenge and ready to go," added Le Bris.

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Sunderland welcome back Jobe Bellingham, Trai Hume and Patrick Roberts for Tuesday's fixture at home to West Bromwich Albion.

Midfielder Bellingham is available for selection after serving a three-match suspension following his red card in the 0-0 draw at QPR earlier this month.

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris now has to decide whether to continue playing Aaron Connelly following his goal in the 1-1 draw at Millwall on Saturday or consider bringing Roberts back into his forward line following suspension.

Bellingham, Chris Mepham and Chris Rigg add a further dilemma for the Frenchman as the trio all have four yellow cards to their name and a booking on Tuesday means they will be ruled out of Friday's top-of-the-table clash at Sheffield United.

Tuesday's match comes too quickly for left-back Dennis Cirkin, however, who is recovering from wrist surgery.

Meanwhile, Norwegian defender Leo Hjelde and Ukrainian forward Nazariy Rusyn are back to full fitness while Niall Huggins and Dutchman Jenson Seelt remain long-term absentees.

A fourth successive league draw for Sunderland at the weekend saw them replaced by Leeds United at the top of the Championship table but they will be looking to reclaim the lead as they host sixth-placed West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday.

The Black Cats, level on points with Leeds but in second on goal difference, will also be mindful of Sheffield United - also on 32 points - and Burnley - two points further back - who are both also eyeing top spot going into their games against Oxford United and Coventry City respectively.

To get themselves back top, Sunderland need to beat a Baggies team who are on an eight-game unbeaten streak and, with the majority of those ending in draws (W1 D7), the West Midlands outfit will be eager to come away victorious.

• Sunderland have won their last three league games against West Brom, having won just one of their previous 16 games against the Baggies (D5 L10).

• West Bromwich Albion have won one of their last six league visits to Sunderland (D3 L2), winning 2-1 in December 2022.

• Sunderland are unbeaten in each of their first seven home league games of the season (W5 D2), their longest such run in the top two tiers since 2010-11 in the Premier League (first 9).

• No side have drawn more away Championship games in 2024 than West Brom (8), including three of their last four such games (W1).

• West Brom have failed to score in each of their last three league games in midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), drawing each of the last two (L1); though they have kept a clean sheet in 10 of their 12 previous such games.