Match Day Thread Fleetwood Town v Sunderland – Saturday 18th September 2021 - KO 15:00

Sunderland visit Fleetwood in the Skybet League One

Last time out Sunderland beat Accrington and Fleetwood beat Rotherham.
Sunderland extended their lead at the top of League One with 15 points from a possible 18.
Tom Flanagan will sit out Sunderland's trip to Fleetwood Town next weekend, forcing Lee Johnson to break up his ever-present League One central defensive pairing. Flanagan was booked in Sunderland's 2-1 win against Accrington Stanley, taking his tally for the season to five following cautions against MK Dons, Burton, AFC Wimbledon, and Wycombe Wanderers. After reaching the five-booking mark, he must now serve a one-match suspension, which will rule him out of the game against Simon Grayson's Fleetwood at Highbury Stadium.
Leon Dajaku is getting closer to regaining match fitness, Luke O’Nien still has an issue with his shoulder and Corry Evans could return to the side after missing the last few games with a hamstring problem. Arby Xhemajli and Denver Hume are back in training but are not close to a return yet.
Simon Grayson’s Fleetwood sit in 17th position and have 7 points from 6 games, having conceded 9 goals and they are yet to keep a cleansheet.
Town have lifted themselves out of early obscurity with two wins from their last three and some clinical performances. An impressive second-half turnaround against a highly-rated Rotherham United side gave the Cod Army a 4-2 win at the New York Stadium last time out, with goals being shared throughout the team.
Lee Johnson:

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"He's (Arby) trained properly for the last couple of days and that's real heartwarming, because I know how hard he's had to work and how hard to work the physios to get to this point.
"That's really good news for us. It's really important that we protect him because it was a really, really bad injury. I'm wincing every time he goes in for a 50/50 but every time he comes out of it, that belief from all of us grows stronger.
"He looks strong, solid and he's a great professional. It can't have been easy to move to a new country, and then get an injury like that almost straight away.
"It would be easy for him to feel a bit isolated but he's a top professional. We took him up to Edinburgh in pre-season so he could feel a part of it and I think he does feel a part of it here."
“Denver is progressing well, we’ve had three pretty intense days of training – two on the pitch and one off it – so he probably needs a day’s rest, but he’s moving well as he always does, looking powerful.
“Leon is coming along well too. He was never a million miles off it, he was just unconditioned in terms of the match scenarios – we have to manage that and we have an opportunity to play him in one of the next two games, Saturday or Tuesday,” explained the gaffer.
“I definitely feel that he has a start in him and anything up to 55-60 minutes, or a game-changing 15-20 minutes in the second half.
Simon Grayson:
“I don’t focus on the league table, nor do I read it at this point and I’m not interested in what other teams do, our main focus is how we’re doing. Sunderland are top of the table but we have to make sure that we embrace these games”
“Not many teams enjoy coming to Highbury. They will look at us and see that we’re on a decent run of form and have some quality players.
“We do have to respect Sunderland though, they will think they’re far too big for the division and will think they have been here for far too long.
“No-one has a divine right to get out of the division, you have to earn it.”

Match Appointments:
Referee: NEIL HAIR
Assistant Referees: Mark Cunliffe and Lewis Raper
Fourth Official: Alan Clayton

Team Line ups
Sunderland: Hoffmann; Cirkin, Doyle, Wright, Winchester; O’Nien, Embleton, Neil; McGeady, Gooch, Stewart.

Subs: Burge, Huggins, Alves, Evans, Dajaku, O’Brien, Broadhead
Suspended: Flanagan
Injured: Xhemajli, Willis, Hume.

Fleetwood Town: Cairns, Andrew, Clarke, D Johnson, Morton, Camps, Rossiter, G Garner, Hill, C Johnson, Biggins.
Subs: Crellin, J Garner, Edmundson, Clark, Lane, Matete, Johnston.
Injured: Halliday

Betting Odds:
Sunderland 21/20 Fleetwood 5/2 Draw 23/10

My two pence:
Another game, another win, Hoffmann had a bit of a nervy start and a few scares but he should be fine after a few games to settle in.
Well at least it's not the Joey Barton show this weekend. Let's hope that Simon Grayson has bored his players stupid with his dulcet tones and slick flip chart presentations.

I’m going for a 2-1 away win.

Live stream: (for overseas fans only)
https://www.safc.com/news/team-news/live-video

Ha’way the Lads

 

0-2 HAWAY!!

Bart

 

Cheers mate

 

They have begun to play well but we are better. 1-3

Cheers RTB.

 

Got a feeling Evans will come back in for this one for Onien after the amount of times his shoulder popped out. I think Wright will replace Flanno. 1-3 to the Lads, Stewart, Geads and Doyle. HTL

 

RTB

Well here's hoping we can keep the winning run going....

Is there going to be a stream anywhere?

 

Not a legal one (in the UK) but probably. I'm sure @Makemstine Roger will post one.

 

Great thread as per usual RTB

Clean sheet time 2 nil to the lads

 

Hmmm can't see that happening but Embleton or Gooch is due a screamer into the top corner.

 

We're blessed with these threads tbh.

I'm in quite a laconic mood tonight but I have to say I'm feeling part of something bigger than the sum of it's parts.

Haway Sunderland, just win FFS.

 

Here you go mate..

 

Tough game but one I think we’ll win. 2 home games coming up after this one, what a position we’d be in with 3 points tomorrow!

 

Thanks for the team talk Simon, yer bellend. we like well earned wins, and here’s to another one on Saturday. 1:3

“….Sunderland…..will think they’re far too big for the division and will think they have been here for far too long. No-one has a divine right to get out of the division, you have to earn it.”

 

FAB Post as ever @RTB. Going for a 1-3 win - scorers (Stewart x2, Gooch)

 

Hoffman made me far more nervous than Burge ever has!! Hope it was just nerves (and can only imagine the threads on here if Burge had a game like that!)

Wish I could watch this. Stupid that the league have re-set the rules so you can’t stream in the UK

 

Give him time man, if he's still nervy after half a season then it'll be justified to criticise.

 

Who wouldn’t be nervous in their first game in a new country? Hoffman will prove to be a lot better than Burge.

 

It'd be surprising if he didn't given his background and how good our recruitment team has been at picking a player.

He's also four or five inches taller and over two stone heavier than Burge so when he does find his feet there won't be many attackers who will be able to stop him claiming crosses.

Just need to allow him time to settle in.

 

Info for those who are going down...

 

Any win will do for me, but a no finger nail biting last twenty minutes would be nice.
Great thread again RTB.
Ps Noted we seem to have a Lot of 1- 1 draws in our recent past history but surely not tomorrow.