Tony Mowbray is banking on Luke O'Nien being available for Sunderland's trip to West Bromwich Albion this weekend - but admits there are no guarantees with the defender's baby now overdue, and the club will have a car on standby in case he needs to return home in a hurry. O'Nien and his wife Georgia were expecting their new arrival earlier this week and Mowbray allowed the player to stay at home on Wearside over Easter rather than make the long six-hour trip for the Black Cats' game at Cardiff City on Easter Monday in case the baby arrived early.
The 28-year-old played in the home games against Birmingham City last Saturday and then Huddersfield Town on Tuesday, but the Black Cats now face another lengthy away trip when they head to The Hawthorns for a Sunday lunchtime kick-off. The situation has become all the more urgent with skipper Danny Batth suffering a season-ending injury against the Terriers that leaves O'Nien as the club's only regular senior centre-half.
Both player and head coach are hoping the baby arrives safely before the game and it may be that he does not travel with the team and instead travels in a club car to the Midlands to reduce the amount of time he is away from home and to allow him to return home if necessary. Mowbray is keeping his fingers crossed that O'Nien will be clear to play against the Baggies but says, ultimately, the player and his family will come first.
