Akinbiyi to face lads at Stoke City

Stoke City's most recent signing, Ade Akinbiyi, will be part of the squad to face Sunderland on Tuesday night at the Britannia Stadium.

Stoke boss Tony Pulis confirmed today, "He will be involved in some way against Sunderland - we will just have to be a bit careful and a bit patient with him at the start.

"Ade needs a month of hard work because his fitness levels are not what they should be.

"But he is a goalscorer and he will cause people problems and get goals at this level.''

Akinbiyi, 28, has been with Stoke since March this year, on loan from our oppo yesterday - Crystal Palace. He has scored twice for them since then.

Ironically it was an Akinbiyi goal which perhaps indicated to some Sunderland supporters that the club's fortunes were on the wane, when the Hackney-born striker scored against the Lads for Leicester in our match against them at Filbert Street in November 2001 - it was Akinbiyi's first goal in fifteen league matches for the Foxes.

Only weeks after that defeat came the humiliating 5-0 away defeat to Ipswich, and the Lads ended the season avoiding relegation by only the narrowest of margins, with our fate only being decided on the final afternoon of the season.

HACKWATCH: Lads 2, Crystal Palace 1

OPPO: Crystal Palace
VENUE: Stadium of Light
RESULT: 2-1 (Kyle 46, Stewart 90)
TEAM: Poom, Arca, McCartney, Breen, Williams (Oster 46), Butler (Proctor 81), Thirlwell, Thornton, McAteer (Healy 34), Stewart, Kyle
SUBS NOT USED: Clark, Oster, Ingham, Proctor, Healy
MAN IN BLACK:G Salisbury (Lancs)
ATTENDANCE: 27,324

MCCARTHY’S COMMENTS

"Julio Arca has made a huge difference. He is a better defender than anybody thought and nobody anticipated how well he does as a defender."

"I am very pleased for Kevin Kyle. The lad has worked tirelessly and has improved no end”

“We should have played the game out at 1-0 but thankfully there have not been too many incriminations. Perhaps last year we might not have won had that happened."

CRYSTAL PALACE WEBSITE

The opening half was played at a fast pace throughout, with both sides eager to take the upper hand.

Julio Arca crossed from the left and Kevin Kyle, to the amazement of the home crowd, headed wide from six yards.

Both sides will have been pleased with their workrate in the first 45 in an evenly-balanced encounter.

Just after the restart Kyle beat off the challenge of a couple of Palace defenders after collecting a pass from Gary Breen and put the home side ahead – this started a hectic period for the visitors’ defence.

Palace felt they should have had a spot kick when Breen appeared to handle the ball but the appeals were turned down.

Then in injury time, Derry was adjudged to have handled as the official pointed to the spot and Stewart sent Bethelin the wrong way.

The Palace squad and fans were left totally deflated and rightly so as they deserved something from their visit to the north east.

SUNDAY MIRROR

”Hot stew on boil for cats

Marcus Stewart crashed home an injury-time penalty to clinch a dramatic win for Sunderland as their Wearside revival gathered pace.

The in-form striker blasted in his fourth goal in as many games after Shaun Derry's handball to secure a fourth straight win

Kevin Kyle broke one of the longest scoring droughts in history to hand Mick McCarthy's side a 46th-minute lead.

Lanky Scot Kyle had become Sunderland's answer to David Blaine - doing nothing in the box for hours on end in front of baffled fans before he pounced from close range to send a looping shot past Berthelin seconds after the break.

Oster almost doubled the lead a minute later with his first touch but Berthelin pulled off a breathtaking save.

Sunderland carved out enough openings to have won at a canter.

Mirror MOTM: “GARY BREEN Class act at the back”
Mirror player rankings: Poom 7, D Williams 5 (Oster 5), BREEN 8, McCartney 6, Arca 7, Thornton 5, McAteer 4 (Healy 6), Thirlwell 6, Butler 5, Kyle 6, Stewart 6.

INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

Stewart's injury-time penalty quashed Crystal Palace's fight-back at the Stadium of Light.

Johnson seemed to have salvaged a point for Palace with an equaliser 30 seconds from the end, but Stewart's nerve held.

SUNDAY TIMES

”Stewart makes it four in a row

…a tortuous climax that brought McCarthy’s side win number four.

Kyle’s early second-half goal seemed to have won the game. But with only seconds remaining, Andrew Johnson outstripped the Sunderland defence to slide the ball home.

Sunderland, however, appear to be made of sterner stuff these days. They dusted themselves down and stormed upfield one last time. Derry’s flailing hand was ruled to have touched the ball. Marcus Stewart crashed in the winning penalty.

If ever a game needed a goal, this was it. And it came within seconds of the restart. A high ball over the top looked more hopeful than tactical, but there was Kyle to chest it down, turn and find the back of the net.

Nobody used the space better than half-time substitute John Oster. He was everywhere and a close-range shot was well blocked.

Oster’s quick thinking was not often matched by his colleagues, and Stewart lost control of the ball after one of Kyle’s many pinpoint passes.

BBC NEWS ONLINE

Marcus Stewart secured a dramatic victory for Sunderland.

Sunderland gave away possession with just 30 seconds remaining and Johnson raced clear to slot the ball beyond keeper Mart Poom to level the scores. But Hayden Mullins handled the ball in the area and Stewart rifled the ball into the top corner in the sixth minute of injury time

Kyle put Sunderland on the way to their fourth successive victory with his first league goal for Sunderland - Breen created the goal with a neat pass and Kyle applied the finishing touch.

McCarthy lost skipper Jason McAteer and Darren Williams to injury in the opening 45 minutes.

The home side finished the first half strongly as Breen headed Sean Thornton's corner over the crossbar, while Thomas Butler drilled a shot wide.

SKY SPORTS ONLINE

Stewart makes Palace pay the penalty”

Marcus Stewart secured a dramatic victory for Sunderland just as it looked as though Crystal Palace had rescued a point.

Sunderland gave away possession with just 30 seconds remaining and Johnson raced clear to slot the ball beyond `keeper Mart Poom.

But Hayden Mullins was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area and Stewart rifled the ball into the top corner in the sixth minute of injury time.

Gary Breen created Sunderland’s first with a neat pass and Kyle applied the finishing touch.

It took 27 minutes to produce the first save of the game and Estonia international Poom needed to be on his toes to keep out Johnson's effort.

Victory for Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy came at a price as he lost skipper Jason McAteer and Darren Williams to injury.