Return of the heroes

Last updated : 04 March 2005 By Tony Scholes
Dean Whitehead
There will be no need for Barry Kilby to be at the cooking sherry this afternoon preparing himself for a “Where are you? Let’s be having you, Come on,” rallying call as each and everyone of the Clarets gets the reception they deserve.

It’s going to be a difficult game against a Sunderland side who will go top of the league for the first time since suffering relegation should they get a point off us. They are a side really pushing the pie eaters and LBJ’s outfit.

It’s not that long since we played them and there’s been no transfer activity either into the Stadium of Light since our pre-Christmas visit to the north east although a couple of players have left the club.

One of them, midfielder Jonjo Dickman, had made just one first team appearance and that came two seasons ago in the Premiership against KKMC. He’s gone on a free transfer whilst we all know about the second departure, John Oster, who will be sat watching the game this evening.

They won six of eleven league games since they beat us up there in what proved to be Robbie Blake’s last appearance for Burnley. Five of those games have been away from home with two won and two lost, the defeats coming at Preston and Brighton.

To add to that they faced only Premiership opposition in the FA Cup. They beat Palace in the 3rd round before going out to Everton at Goodison Park.

Goals have been shared out this season and no fewer than thirteen players have hit the net in league games with Marcus Stewart and Stephen Elliott leading the way with twelve each. Stewart’s goals include two hat tricks, at Gillingham in September and more recently in their 4-2 home win against Watford.

Stewart was on the mark last week, as was Gary Breen, after they beat crisis club Cardiff 2-1 at home.

Click HERE to see all Sunderland’s results this season.

Team News

Mick McCarthy has one or two injury problems. Mark Lynch and Julio Arca are both ruled out with knee and hip injuries respectively although Carl Robinson is expected to be fit after recovering from a knock last week.

Striker Stephen Elliott remains doubtful with a groin injury whilst McCarthy is without long term injury victims Mart Poom, Kevin Kyle, Matt Piper and Colin Healy. To add to that Stephen Wright is out suspended and midfielder Dean Whitehead will take his place at right back.

Sunderland can cope with all this because of their big squad and McCarthy can still name an experienced team which is expected to be:

Thomas Myhre, Dean Whitehead, Gary Breen, Stephen Caldwell, George McCartney, Liam Lawrence, Carl Robinson, Jeff Whitley, Andy Welsh, Chris Brown, Marcus Stewart. Subs: Ben Alnwick, Danny Collins, Neil Collins, Sean Thornton, Michael Bridges.

Click HERE to see Sunderland’s full squad.

It is hardly worth guessing the side that Steve Cotterill will turn out against the club he was with two years ago. Frank Sinclair, Micah Hyde, Tony Grant and Mo Camara were all struggling towards the end of the game on Tuesday whilst John McGreal was ruled out and new signing Ade Akinbiyi hasn’t played for six weeks.

Some of them will play, I believe Akinbiyi will be in the squad and will make his Burnley debut tonight but it is just a matter of picking the best available squad.

I’m not even going to name the squad but just hope that as many as possible of those players can be fit for this difficult game tonight.

Last Time

Burnley v Sunderland last season is one that will remain in the memory for years to come. It brought the season to a close at the end of an emotional week for me personally and for Burnley FC with the news that manager Stan Ternent would be leaving.

It was all his day really and when the departing Glen Little gave us the lead, he hasn’t scored a goal since, we began to dream that it might just be. There was to be no change in fortunes though and the season ended with us giving two bad goals away to Gary Breen and Kevin Kyle that saw Sunderland through to a 2-1 win.

At the end of the game the players, with Stan Ternent, did a lap of honour to a standing ovation from all four sides of the ground. Hardly a Mackem had left.

The teams that day which was Stan’s last Burnley team were,

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Mark McGregor, David May, Graham Branch, Mo Camara (Paul Scott 79), Glen Little, Richard Chaplow (Matt O’Neill 73), Lenny Johnrose, Paul Weller (Luke Chadwick 69), Robbie Blake, Ian Moore. Subs not used: Nathan Abbey, Dean West.

Sunderland: Thomas Myhre, Darren Williams, Gary Breen, Phil Babb, Joachim Bjorklund, Sean Thornton (Ben Clark 72), Carl Robinson, Jeff Whitley, John Oster, Tommy Smith (Kevin Kyle 45), Darren Byfield (Marcus Stewart 45). Subs not used: Euan McLean, Simon Ramsden.

Previous 20 Seasons

Season

Div

Ven

Result

Att

Scorers

1994/95

1

a

0-0

17,700

.

.

.

h

1-1

15,121

Eyres(pen)

2003/04

1

a

1-1

29,852

I Moore

..

h

1-2

18,852

Little

2004/05

C

a

1-2

27,102

Branch

Click HERE to see all our results against Sunderland. the first of these was a 3-2 win in the north east in September 1890 and was Sunderland's first ever league game.