Ellis Simms is set to get more minutes this week as Sunderland take on Huddersfield - but Tony Mowbray says the striker will not be ready to start games until after the World Cup break. On-loan Everton striker Simms had been out of action since mid-September with a toe injury but made his comeback in Saturday's draw at Luton, coming off the bench for the final 20 minutes at Kenilworth Road.
Sunderland head to Huddersfield on Wednesday night and the 21-year-old is expected to have a longer run-out, with subsequent games at home to Cardiff on Saturday and then at Birmingham a week on Friday offering opportunities to continue building up his game time before the Championship pauses for the World Cup. However head coach Mowbray says it is not until the season resumes again on December 3 at home to Millwall that Simms is likely to be ready to start.
"He might get 10 minutes more [than at Luton] on Wednesday night," Mowbray said of Simms. "The game will dictate, of course, but it's good to give him game time, to get him on the pitch, to get his boots on and make him feel more confident in himself.
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"I know he looks a huge man on the pitch, but he is a young boy, so it is a case of him having the confidence that the injury is going to be fine. He needs to work hard and get his general fitness up to a level where he can start thinking about starting a game.
"It'll be after the World Cup break that you see him play 90 minutes, in my mind. But he has three games now where he can build up his game time and hopefully score a goal, then go into that break ready and raring to go come December 3."
Simms did make a difference in the final 20 minutes at Luton, and Sunderland's equaliser came within ten minutes of him entering the action. Mowbray said: "He gave us a platform to play off. It's difficult, as we've found for the last half-a-dozen games or so, when you have to build because you haven't got someone who gives you the ability to be more direct.
"When you haven't got a target to play off and teams are playing a really high press against you, it's tough. You need a target to play off, and Ellis allowed us to release the pressure.
"We can still start by building and if they commit lots of men forward then you play off the front in to Ellis, and the midfielders can run off him."
Mowbray also revealed that leading scorer Ross Stewart was in light training today as he continues his comeback from the thigh injury that has ruled him out since the end of August, while defender Daniel Ballard - who has also been out since August, in his case with a foot injury - is also on the comeback trail. Both Stewart and Ballard are alos set to return after the World Cup break.
Mowbray said: "Ross was on the training pitches today - with the physios, not with the team - but it was good to see him with his boots on and kicking a football, which is telling me he is not far away.
"Danny Ballard has been out there for a few days as well, running with the physios. It's good to know that somewhere around the corner we are going to have lots more options to pick from."
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