Match Day Thread Sunderland AFC v Preston North End – Saturday 1st October 2022 – KO 15:00

Sunderland welcome Preston to the Stadium of Light in the Championship.
Last time out Sunderland drew at Watford and Preston lost to Sheffield United.
Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray could have Dennis Cirkin back in the squad after the International break. Cirkin was back training on the grass on Monday.
Ellis Simms has returned to Everton to have a scan on his toe injury.
Mowbray knows all about North End from the derby days against Blackburn over the years.
Preston have the best defensive record in the division, having only conceded on four occasions, but The Lilywhites have been struggling to score goals and have only found the back of the net three times.
Strikers Troy Parrott, Robbie Brady and Emil Riis will be looking to improve on those poor scoring statistics. The 3000 travelling fans will be hoping for an improvement too.
Tony Mowbray:
"I felt as though they'd had a really tough run with midweek games going into that break so we did give them a couple of days off. A couple of days in and then a couple of days off.
"The internationals were away - the new lads have been away - Abdoullah Ba was away in France and Jewison was away in Seoul in South Korea, he still is and won't be back until training on Friday. I think that he gets back on Thursday night, so it's difficult to integrate them into a team when they've been halfway around the world.
"I'd have to say that Jewi - as we call him - has had a massive impact. The goal that he scored at Watford and then he's been away with his country and scored a couple of goals as well so he'll come back on a high and we've got to try and utilise things like that.
"Balance it against a guy who's been halfway around the world with jetlag etc coming back."
“Ellis (Simms) is progressing and will hopefully be a bit closer – we’ll have to wait and see. Dennis Cirkin is back out on the grass which is great for us, and he knows the competition too with Aji Alese’s performances.”
“We have options going forward with our wide attackers and our number 10s, so we’ll be sure to adapt.”
Ryan Lowe:
“We have been punished. When you have that much possession in the first half and create that many good chances you’ve got to put the ball in the back of the net.
“I normally say that it’s not for the lack of trying, but today I don’t think that we looked like scoring, so we’ve got to now find that solution of putting the ball in the back of the net.
“To dominate a top-of-the-league team and a good team in Sheffield United, for large parts especially in the first half, and then a mistake that costs us that gives them a goal is frustrating.
“I said to the lads in there at half-time that’s probably some of the best football we’ve played against a good team.
“We haven’t put the ball in the back of the net, but to give a sloppy goal away, we should clear our lines and we haven’t so I’m disappointed about that.
“Then it’s the same in the second half. Another mistake gives them another goal, and you can’t give Sheffield United two goals. You just can’t do it.”

Match Appointments:
Referee: ANDY WOOLMER
Assistant Referees: Mark Dwyer & Matthew Smith
Fourth Official: Thomas Parsons

Team Lineups:
Sunderland AFC: (3-5-2) Patterson, Alese, Batth, O’Nien, Neil, Embleton, Evans, Gooch, Clarke, Pritchard, Roberts

Subs: Bass, Cirkin, Matete, Bennette, Ba, Dajaku, Diallo
Injured: Huggins, Ballard, Stewart, Simms

Preston North End (3-5-2) Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Potts, Whiteman, McCann, Browne, Fernández; Riis, Parrott.
Subs: Cornell, Ledson, Johnson, Brady, Evans, Cunningham, Maguire.
Injured: Woodburn, O'niell

Betting Odds:
Sunderland 6/5 Preston 12/5 Draw 9/4

Prutton Predicts: 2-1

My two pence:
A great result at Watford, a great comeback and even better to see Alese and Bennette scoring their first goals for the club.
Hopefully Cirkin is back, but Alese has impressed and may be the preferred option to start. Simms could be out for a few more weeks - if he has ligament damage to his toe.
One of my best mates is a Preston fan, and he's always telling me that Preston are a good footballing team. They will be hard to break down, but I think that we’ll turn them over, and I’m going for a 2-0 home win

Note that on October 1st and October 8th no trains will run between Pelaw and South Hylton

Live Stream: (international fans only)

https://www.safc.com/news/team-news/live-video

Ha’way the Lads

 

Great to see the brilliant quality match thread back. Thank you as always @RTB

Can't wait for Saturday and to see the lads in action. Preston may be tough at the back but if we play like the last 2 games we will cause them huge problems.

3-0 to us, Pritchard, Clarke and Neil

 

Ha'way ha'way ha'way. Can't ****ing wait for this one. I was on holiday for Norwich and Rotherham so it's been a ****ing eternity since I've been to the match. Get into them, and play our stuff lads, they won't be able to touch us.

Chalk and cheese those comments from Mowbray compared to their gaffer. One backing his team and praising them and the other gaffer is criticising mistakes and not capitalising on things etc etc.

****ing come on, HTL.

 

They've only scored a few goals but this was something special

 

Think it’ll be tight, and we’ll have to be patient.

2-0 with Bennette to score both in the last 5 minutes!!

Bart
FTM

 

Hopefully we score earlier than that but I wouldn't rule it out

 

Thanks again for setting the scene RTB , lets get back with a win. OaU.

 

.

 

It would be nice to see something like this at the SoL on Saturday

 

If Simms is fit then that's the only change I'd make. Keep Ba, Benette, Diallo and Michu under wraps for now. Cirkin can be reintroduced carefully. Really looking forward to this one

 

Really looking forward to Saturday. Good chance of 40K+ attendance. Preston are no mugs and have a very good defensive record but don’t score many… Fancy us to nick it 1-0 and a win would represent a very good start to the season!

 

Great thread as always @RTB
Not been to a home game since QPR so can’t wait for this one.
Coming up with my youngest lad.
Might be a tight game but think we will nick it 2-1.

 

Well don't want to be Mr doom and gloom but can't recall us ever having a good result after the international breaks so time to change that.
Our record against this lot is woeful so again time to change that as well.
Patience might be the key to winning this so the crowd will play a big part on Saturday.
To finish on a positive note I think we've enough to get a good result and I don't care who scores our winning goal.
Nice to have you back RTB, cheers mate.

 

RTB

Your starting 11 is what I imagine it will be. The no longer injured returnees on the bench?

The lilywhites hithertofore are not conceding or scoring many.

Goals will be at a premium for both sides.

Ps I take the sporting director BS about the reasons we did not bring in another striker as just that BS. Which is a pity, as he is blotting his copy book as it were, as those he has brought in are good. Being honest would not have hurt.

 

However, Tony Mowbray has won 3 of his last 4 against Preston.

 

Good point well made Charley, didn't know that HTL.

 

Any news on Bailey Wright's absence, not even on the bench, hope he's OK.

 

I was thinking that myself Cumbrian, hopefully we can turn it around this time

 

That’s not the team clocky
It’s just an idea

 

I’m pleased Preston are bringing a decent number up, should make for a good atmosphere.