Johnson To Miss His Glamour Fixture

Last updated : 24 December 2012 By Tott Dixon - Seaham

The winger was substituted with quarter-of-an-hour remaining in Saturday’s victory over Southampton, still struggling with the effects of a dead leg sustained in the win over Reading.

And the club are monitoring him to see whether he will be fit enough to play against his former club at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday.

Martin O’Neill: “Adam came off at the weekend feeling pretty sore again.

“He thought he would be able to get through it going into the Southampton game, but that proved not to be the case.

“So we’ll see how it goes.

“But we’ve still got a bit of time yet, and the same goes for one or two players carrying the usual niggles.

“Beating Southampton was important on a number of levels.

“It was a win, a win away from home, a win against the side around us, and it builds confidence.

“The games will come thick and fast for us now, but the players are now looking forward to them after getting that big, big win.

“Confidence is high, which it will need to be against Man City, and the players are looking forward to these games.

“Man City are the champions, and they’re still chasing the championship this season, so they’ll be on a mission I’m sure.

“They’ve got so many good players it doesn’t matter what team they select it will be a terrific one.

“But we’ll have a big Boxing Day crowd in, and we want to go out there and give themselves something to enjoy.”