Niall Huggins is the latest defender to join Sunderland's lengthy injury list, with boss Tony Mowbray waiting on a number of players before picking his team ahead of tomorrow's trip to Wigan Athletic. Huggins is suffering from an ankle problem and will not travel to the North-West for the Black Cats' double header at Wigan followed by Sunday's New Year's Day game at Blackpool.
He joins fellow defenders Lynden Gooch (hamstring), Dennis Cirkin (hip) - who both came off in the Boxing Day home win against Blackburn Rovers - along with Aji Alese (foot), and Danny Batth (calf) in the treatment room, although Mowbray has not yet completely ruled Gooch, Cirkin, and Batth out of the forthcoming games. Full-back Huggins spent more than a year on the sidelines with back and then heel injuries, before making his comeback in the win at Birmingham City in November but has not featured since.
"I don't want to give too much away the day before a big game - it's probably just best to say that we've got a few issues defensively," said Mowbray. "I think it's fair to say that Aji Alese isn't going to make it, Danny Batth is probably touch and go in terms of whether he can make it at some point across the two games.
