SAFC Warn Fans Ahead Of Cup Tie

Last updated : 10 January 2013 By Tott Dixon - Seaham

They have been told to buy or collect their match tickets for Tuesday nights’ FA Cup with Budweiser Third Round Replay against Bolton Wanderers in advance of the game to avoid potential queues or delays on the night.

k

The Stadium of Light ticket office will be open from 10am until kick off (3pm) on Saturday and will also open from 10am until 1pm on Sunday to assist supporters with ticket collections and purchases.

Tickets for the game, which kicks off at 7:45pm, are priced at just £15 for adults and £5 for under 16s and over 65s. Tickets are also available in Black Cats Bar for £35.
 
Cash turnstiles will be operating from 6:15pm on Tuesday night, with adult seats priced at £15. Concession prices for under 16s and over 65s will also be available at the turnstiles for this game, priced at just £5.

The ticket office and ticket collection points are expected to be very busy and the club is urging supporters to buy their tickets before Tuesday where possible and to also collect any pre-booked tickets well in advance.

Tickets can be purchased in-person at the Stadium of Light ticket office, online by clicking here or by telephone 0871 911 1973 (24 hours). 

Matchday hospitality can be booked by calling 0871 911 1555.

Martin O'Neill is ready to let academy product Blair Adams join Coventry City on a permanent basis.

Adams saw his loan deal with the Sky Blues extended by just a week yesterday, to allow the left-back to feature in tomorrow’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy semi-final against Preston along with League One encounters against Carlisle and Tranmere.

South Shields-born Adams is out-of-contract next summer and despite impressing Sunderland boss Martin O’Neill during pre-season, has still not made a first-team appearance for the Black Cats.

s

Sunderland are understood to be prepared to let Adams further his career by joining Coventry on a long-term basis, with the deal likely to involve a free transfer with a hefty sell-on clause included.

Coventry boss Mark Robins: “We want to keep Blair for as long as we possibly can.

“Obviously we have had him on loan and Sunderland have been kind to extend that and we will do what we need to do over the next week and hopefully have that resolved.

“I think he has been good for us and a catalyst for changing the balance of the team.

"He’s a young lad so there’s a lot of improvement in him and he needs to get stronger and there are things we need to do with him that he’s aware of, so we’ll see what we can do in the long term.”

NEW SIGNING!

Sunderland have completed the signing of midfielder Alfred N'Diaye from Bursaspor for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year old has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal at the Stadium of Light after completing his medical and agreeing personal terms.

N'Diaye, a France Under-21 international who started his career at Ligue 1 side Nancy, becomes Sunderland's first signing in the January transfer window.

s

Martin O'Neill: "Alfred is a strong, powerful young player and as such can offer us more strength in depth.

"He will give us options and I'm delighted that we have been able to bring him to the club."

N'Diaye signed for Bursaspor from Nancy last year for a fee reported to be 3 million euros (£2.5 million) and could be available for this Saturday's Premier League match against West Ham at the Stadium of Light, subject to international clearance.

Sunderland Boss Was Not Doing A 'Big Sam'!

Martin O'Neill said he was not trying to make a point when he named only six players on the bench for the weekend's cup tie rather than seven.

Some reporters suggested the shortage of substitutes in the tie was flashing a message to owner Ellis Short in the January transfer window that reinforcements were needed just to field a full squad.

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce admitted he did the same thing two weeks ago, but O'Neill insists the owner "knows full well we need players, I don't have to make the point".

Martin O’Neill: “It wasn’t a prank, it’s just the way things are.

“We don’t have the biggest squad, and we’re really stretched at the moment.”

k

"Stephane Sessegnon was due to be the seventh substitute, but he had to cry off before we boarded the plane, and we decided against just giving the shirt to some young player for the sake of it.

“We maybe could have called one of the younger players in, but there’s a danger that some young lad gets a shirt and then all of a sudden he thinks he’s part of the team.

“I don’t want that. I want the young players to earn that shirt, I really do.

“But don’t think that this was some sort of well-thought out masterplan – it was very late in the day when Sessegnon found he was too sore to come, and it became a bit of a problem.

“The fact is that we are short on bodies and we are going to do something about if we can – well, not if we can, we NEED to do something about it.

“I’ve had conversations with the owner and think I get on reasonably well with him.

“He’s well aware that we need to strengthen, and he wants to do something about it.”

Sunderland Squad

2.Bardsley
4.N'Diaye
3.Rose
5.Brown
6.Cattermole
7.Larsson
8.Gardner
9.Campbell
10.Wickham
11.McFadden
12.Kilgallon
13.Pickford
14.Colback
15.Vaughan
16.O'Shea
19.Bramble
20.Westwood
21.Johnson A
22.Mignolet
23.McClean
24.Cuellar
25.Saha
26.Fletcher
28.Sessegnon

Sunderland Fixtures

Saturday January 12 15:00 Premier League West Ham United (H)
Tuesday January 15 19:45 FA Cup replay Bolton Wanderers (H)
Saturday January 19 15:00 Premier League Wigan Athletic (A)
Tuesday January 29 19:45 Premier League  Swansea City (H)