Carlos' play-off fear
The Northern Echo
16 Mar 2007
ONLY one clean sheet in five Championship matches has not dented Sunderland's promotion chances, but Carlos Edwards wants a return to miserly ways to ensure promotion is achieved during his absence.
Edwards has been ruled out for at least six weeks with a shoulder injury sustained in the showdown with West Brom on March 3, meaning his return could coincide with the play-offs.
But the Trinidad & Tobago winger wants the Black Cats to have a place in the top two wrapped up before then, preferring that to having the uncertainty of an end-of-season knock-out to concentrate on come May.
advertisementHe feels the sort of defensive displays that became the norm in the early part of 2007 are required. In the first seven games this year Sunderland kept six clean sheets.
Regular repeats of conceding two sloppy goals, as they did in the draw with Stoke City on Tuesday, could scupper Roy Keane's prediction that a couple of goals every match should result in Sunderland going up.
Keane's defensive options against Hull City tomorrow could be restricted if Jonny Evans is not passed fit. He was taken off on Tuesday with blurred vision and has been diagnosed with a whiplash problem.
"The manager has said if we score two goals every game we'll be promoted. I'm not too sure where he got that from - what if we concede three?" said Edwards, who had been in outstanding form before his injury, scoring three and assisting numerous others.
"The clean sheets we've kept are a positive but we need to start scoring goals. We're full of confidence and we know exactly what we have to do to get a result. The table is very close so every win makes a big difference."
But, while Edwards feels helpless in not being able to contribute to the promotion push, he believes Keane's influence is continuing to rub off on the squad he has formed.
"The gaffer's played under some of the best managers in the game and he just wants his players to do the same things he did - work hard and enjoy themselves," said the former Luton man.
"He just tells us to go out and enjoy it. When you're enjoying it you play better. Everyone has their own way they would like their teams to play. He wants us to try to play football and enjoy it. But he also wants us to win."
Antony Stokes has been named in the Republic of Ireland squad for the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Wales and Slovakia on March 24 and 28.
West Brom boss Tony Mowbray may have to dip into the transfer market after skipper Curtis Davies was ruled out for the rest of the season.
The 22-year-old central defender suffered a broken metatarsal during the first half of the Baggies' 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace at the Hawthorns on Wednesday.
The Baggies are now seven points adrift of second-placed Derby and Mowbray admits Davies' injury is a ''big blow'' to his side's promotion hopes.
He said: ''Curtis has been an inspiration to us defensively. I'm sure I'll be making some calls and checking on the availability of one or two players as we are pretty thin on the ground.'
