Gray may yet stay at Celtic

Michael Gray may yet see out the remainder of this season with SPL team Celtic where he's played for the last three months.

Sunderland have confirmed that Castletown lad Gray, 29, will not be eligible to play for his hometown team in tomorrow's FA Cup match because Celtic still hold his registration - and it's possible that although his loan period has officially ended, there's a chance he could go back on loan again until the summer.

Mick McCarthy said today that although Gray has been back in training with his Sunderland colleagues, he is in talks with Martin O'Neill's team about staying at Celtic Park for the rest of the season.

Cureton joins Sunderland on trial

Former Norwich and Reading striker Jamie Cureton has started training with Sunderland, on a week's trial.

Bristol-born Cureton, 28, left Reading to join South Korean team Busan Icons in the summer.

He scored 50 goals in 108 league appearances during a three year stint at the Madejski Stadium.

As with Wolves' Kevin Cooper, who has also just arrived at the Stadium of Light on trial, Cureton will not be eligible to play in tomorrow's FA Cup third round match against Hartlepool.

Gabbiadini to miss Cup clash

Sunderland icon Marco Gabbiadini will not get the chance to face his former club when Hartlepool United travel to the Stadium of Light tomorrow for the FA Cup 3rd round match.

Gabbiadini, who will celebrate his 36th birthday in just over two weeks, hasn't recovered fully from an operation on his knee, and hasn't played for the Monkey Hangers since last November. But the iconic striker WILL be at the Stadium of Light tomorrow; he told the Northern Echo, "I'll be there on Saturday and be supporting Hartlepool, there's no two ways about it. I'll be rooting for Sunderland for the rest of the season though.

"My operation was nothing major, but it hasn't really done the trick. I need a bit more doing, a scan and the like. It's one of those things that happens in football. People have missed FA Cup finals.

"I knew all along it was going to be a tall order, so it's not much of a shock for me."

Gabbiadini signed for Sunderland in the autumn of 1987 for £80,000 and was a prolific scorer, netting 87 times in four years at Roker Park. Crystal Palace bought him in October 1991 for £1.8m but he spent only four months there before moving to Derby County for £1m in January 1992. Since then he's been signed by Stoke City, Darlington, Northampton and now Hartlepool, also seeing out loan spells at Birmingham, Oxford and York along the way.

Marco says that 'Pool go to the Stadium tomorrow with high hopes. "We have done well this season and go there with a chance of winning. Not being disrespectful, but Sunderland are not the club they once were.

"We can go there and be confident."

SAFC confirm Blades game brought forward

Sunderland AFC have confirmed that the home match against Neil Warnock's Sheffield United, scheduled for Saturday 10th April (Easter Saturday), has been brought forward for live transmission on Sky Sports.

The match will now kick off at 3pm on Friday 9th April (Good Friday).

This is in addition to changes to the home game against Norwich City in February, which has seen its kickoff time brought forward for Sky transmission.