When a strong player leaves a smaller club to move up to the premier teams, it can certainly have a big impact.

International breaks are, for a select few, all about sitting by the phone and waiting for a call that confirms a nod has been given and that it is time to pack your bags. Lynden Gooch could be forgiven for having changed his number and stuffed his suitcase into the back of a wardrobe.

A theme of our prolonged stay in League One has been frustrating draws.

Cast aside FA Cup woes, the league is still in play for Sunderland despite dreadful recent form. However, the postponement of our game against Lincoln originally scheduled for next Saturday means we have a bit of time to wait.

Sunderland’s FA Cup campaign ends in the exact fashion that last season's did, a 1-0 home defeat to Mansfield Town.

Sunderland’s FA Cup campaign starts at home to Mansfield Town tomorrow afternoon in a repeat of last season’s fixture where the Black Cats were dumped out of the cup in their first game.

Sunderland’s FA Cup campaign starts at home to Mansfield Town tomorrow afternoon in a repeat of last season’s fixture where the Black Cats were dumped out of the cup in their first game.

We're a few days off 11 months with Lee Johnson as Sunderland manager, whose mantra to move the Lads up a division quickly has taken heavy blows already.

While not carrying the glamour of those clubs that exist in the Premier League, Sunderland is still a side that is steeped in history.

Sunderland host Bolton at the Stadium of Light and both teams will be looking to bounce back following disappointing results from the previous weekend.