Dan Ballard's involvement in Sunderland's Championship run-in is in doubt - but he could play a part if the Black Cats reach the play-offs. Head coach Tony Mowbray had hoped that Ballard might have got over his hamstring injury in time to be available for Saturday's game against Watford at the Stadium of Light, but now says the Northern Ireland international centre-back will not be involved.
There remains a chance that he could figure in the final day trip to Preston a week on Monday, but only if he is able to train part of next week. A more realistic target for Ballard would be any play-off games although, of course, that would depend on Sunderland clinching a top six place in these final two games.
"It's back-tracked a little bit, I think," Mowbray said of Ballard's situation, having said last week the defender might be involved against Watford. "He hasn't trained this week.
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"He was feeling OK and feeling better and thought he could get back out on the grass, but that's not been the case. My mentality is that he is not available for this one, he'd have to train for two or three days - given how long he has been out for - if he was to give himself a chance for the last game of the season [at Preston].
"Some days he feels really good, he goes out jogging and looks alright. But the next day he feels a bit sore. It's a day-by-day thing, rather than long-term. If we did succeed [in reaching the play-offs] in the next two games, there's every chance he could have a part to play beyond that."
With Ballard still out, Mowbray is set to stick with the same back line that played in last weekend's win at West Brom, with Trai Hume, Luke O'Nien, and Dennis Cirkin making up the back three with Lynden Gooch dropping in to make a back four when Sunderland are defending. He said: "My hope is that we keep a clean sheet and do really well against Watford, our back-line does really well, and then even if he was fit I'd be thinking 'let's not change Cirkin, O'Nien, Gooch and Hume - let's keep it going'."
Sunderland have no other new injury concerns going into this weekend's game. Mowbray said: "We've got nobody back, but there's nobody out either. We won't be too far away from the choices we had at West Bromwich Albion last week."
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