Tony Mowbray decided against gambling with Dennis Cirkin's fitness against Blackpool - opting to give him a few more days to recover from his hamstring injury. Mowbray had said on the eve of the game that the defender would be included on the bench after overcoming the injury he suffered in early September, but the 20-year-old was a surprise omission from the teamsheet.
And after the game Mowbray revealed that Cirkin felt he needed a little more time, and he is now expected to be part of the squad for Sunderland's trip to Swansea on Saturday. "Dennis wasn't quite right," said Mowbray.
"I had a long chat with Dennis on Monday and I think he wasn't quite 100 percent clear in his mind that his hamstring was ready. He wouldn't have started the game anyway.
