Sunderland Preview

By Mark Heys
December 23 2005

Bolton Wanderers will take nothing for granted ahead of their clash with the Premiership's bottom club Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Boxing Day.

The Black Cats have taken just five points from the first half of the season so far with their only league win coming against North East rivals Middlesbrough at the end of September.

Bolton will be keen to avoid defeat for the second game in succession so a thoroughly accomplished performance is needed by Sam Allardyce's troops for the trip to Wearside.

Top versus bottom games are usually not as clear cut as they seem so the Wanderers will be wary of that going into the festive fixture programme which sees four matches played in the next week and a half.

Bruno N'Gotty seems likely to return to the Trotters line up for this game after being rested for the Carling Cup game at Wigan Athletic earlier in the week. N'Gotty's inclusion means that Radhi Jaidi is expected to drop out of the starting eleven.

Ivan Campo is banned after being sent off in a recent reserve game at Manchester United but Kevin Davies does seem set to play after the Football Association rescinded one of his five yellow cards.

Henrik Pedersen is still some way to making a first team return and will therefore not be considered by Trotters manager Sam Allardyce who celebrates a return to one of his former clubs.

Sunderland have a number of injury worries going into this game as Tommy Miller (hamstring), Stephen Elliott (back) and Kevin Kyle (hip) are all out of the running to play.

George McCartney and Colin Healy are both long term absentees but Julio Arca, Matt Piper (both ankle) and former Bolton captain Alan Stubbs (groin) are back in training

Former Gillingham right back Nyron Nosworthy sits out the game due to a suspension

PREMIERSHIP RECORD

29/09/2001 BOLTON WANDERERS 0 SUNDERLAND 2 (Phillips, Craddock)

05/03/2002 SUNDERLAND 1 (McAteer) BOLTON WANDERERS 0

28/10/2002 BOLTON WANDERERS 1 (Babb OG) SUNDERLAND 1 (Gray)

15/03/2003 SUNDERLAND 0 BOLTON WANDERERS 2 (Okocha, Pedersen)

PREMIERSHIP FORM GUIDE:

Played: 4

Won: 1

Drawn: 1

Lost: 2

CONNECTIONS

Sam Allardyce, Peter Barnes, John Bollands, Michael Bridges, Jimmy Davison, Andy Dibble, Wayne Entwistle, Carsten Fredgaard, Darren Holloway, Charlie Hurley, Allan Johnston, Jason McAteer, Jim McDonagh, Peter Reid, Barry Siddall, Alan Stubbs, Nicky Summerbee, Emerson Thome, Ray Train, Steve Whitworth, Frank Worthington

IT HAPPENED WHEN BOLTON PLAYED SUNDERLAND

Sunderland had four future Wanderers players in their 1999 promotion winning team as Allan Johnston, Nicky Summerbee, Darren Holloway and Michael Bridges all represented the Black Cats that season.

Jason McAteer began his league career with Bolton in 1992 but his goal in a 1-0 win for Sunderland ten years later damaged the Wanderers prospects of staying in the Premiership

Both clubs moved to their respective stadiums at the start of the 1997-98 season