SUNDERLAND v WEST BROMWICH ALBION
Barclays Premier League
Saturday 2nd April 2016, 3:00pm
Stadium of Light

MATCH NOTES

The game will be the 154th competitive meeting between Albion and Sunderland. The Black Cats currently have 57 wins to their name compared to the Baggies' 54. There have been 17 Premier League meetings with Albion winning nine and Sunderland three.

There have been 76 meetings on Sunderland soil with Sunderland winning 39 games and Albion 14.

The game will be the 150th league meeting of the clubs. Albion have 50 wins to Sunderland's 57.

The last time Albion played a game on this date came in 2011 when two penalties from Chris Brunt gave the Baggies a 2-1 win over Liverpool at The Hawthorns - the club's first win over the Reds for 30 years.

Sunderland's last game on April 2 came back in 2005 when the Black Cats beat Queens Park Rangers 3-1 in a Championship clash at Loftus Road, Andy Welsh, Chris Brown and Julio Arca the scorers.

Albion and Sunderland have met once previously on this date - 1968 when the clubs played out a 0-0 draw in a First Division fixture at The Hawthorns.

Albion have won more games (9), won more points (32), and scored more goals (30), against Sunderland than any other club in Premier League competition.

Ten of the last fourteen league meetings between the sides have produced a minimum of three goals.

Darren Fletcher will make his 50th Albion appearance if he plays a part in the game.

The club are laying on free coach travel for supporters to the game - the 15th time they have made the gesture. The team are unbeaten in 12 of those previous 14 trips.

Albion's last six games: Norwich City (H) 0-1; Manchester United (H) 1-0; Leicester City (A) 2-2; Crystal Palace (H) 3-2; Reading (A, FAC) 1-3; Everton (A) 1-0.

Sunderland's last six games: Newcastle United (A) 1-1; Southampton (A) 1-1; Crystal Palace (H) 2-2; West Ham United (A) 0-1; Manchester United (H) 2-1; Liverpool (A) 2-2.

TEAM NEWS

Albion

Callum McManaman is fit again after recovering from his ankle injury but James Morrison (hamstring) and long-term injury victim Chris Brunt (knee) remain out.

Sunderland

Younes Kaboul (calf) and former Baggie Billy Jones (knock) are both expected to be fit but Duncan Watmore (foot / ankle) is out.

MATCH ODDS

Result

Albion Win: 3/1, Sunderland Win: 21/20, Draw: 21/10.

First Goalscorer

Albion: Berahino 13/2, Rondon 13/2, Lambert 9/1, Anichebe 9/1, Sessegnon 11/1, Gardner 12/1, Pritchard 14/1, McClean 14/1, McManaman 16/1, Fletcher 20/1, Dawson 25/1, McAuley 33/1, Evans 33/1, Sandro 33/1.

Sunderland: Defoe 4/1, N'Doye 11/2, Borini 6/1, Khazri 13/2, Mandron 7/1, Lens 8/1, Toivonen 9/1, Rodwell 11/1, van Aanholt 16/1, Larsson 16/1, M'Vila 20/1, Kirchhoff 25/1, Kaboul 25/1, Jones 33/1, O'Shea 33/1, Kone 33/1, Cattermole 33/1.

No goalscorer: 7/1.

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MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Roger East (Wiltshire)
Assistant Referees: Richard West (East Riding) & Mark Scholes (Buckinghamshire)
Fourth Official: James Adcock (Nottinghamshire)

East has refereed one Albion game so far this season - the 1-0 defeat at Swansea City on Boxing Day.

He officiated three Albion games last season - the 0-0 draw at home to Liverpool in April, the 2-0 defeat at Stoke City in December and the 0-0 draw at Southampton in August.

The Wiltshire official has taken charge of three Sunderland games during 2015/16 - the 1-1 draw at home to Bournemouth in January, the 3-1 defeat away at Chelsea in December and the 4-1 Capital One Cup defeat at home to Manchester City in September.

He has refereed one previous game between the sides - in February 2013 when the Baggies beat Sunderland 2-1 at The Hawthorns.

Albion have failed to score in six of the last seven games East has officiated.

East has issued 89 yellow cards and one red in the 31 games he has officiated so far this season.

A full run-down of East's history refereeing the Baggies can be found here

TICKET INFORMATION

Albion were handed an allocation of 2,000 tickets priced at £29 adults, £19 over-65s and £10 under-16s.

Tickets will be available to buy at the Stadium of Light on the day of the game but only at adult prices.

WEATHER FORECAST

Heavy rain, 9°C.

FIXTURE HISTORY

LAST MEETING AT THE STADIUM OF LIGHT

Sunderland 0-0 Albion
Barclays Premier League
Saturday 21 February 2015, 3:00pm

Sunderland: Pantilimon, Vergini (van Aanholt 87), Reveillere, O’Shea, Brown, Cattermole, Larsson, Johnson, Alvarez (Fletcher 68), Graham (Wickham 68), Defoe. Subs not used: Bridcutt, Gomez, Coates, Mannone.

Booked: Alvarez 11 (foul)

Albion: Foster, Dawson, McAuley, Lescott, Brunt, Morrison (Baird 73), Fletcher, Yacob, Gardner (McManaman 87), Ideye, Berahino. Subs not used: Myhill, Wisdom, Olsson, Mulumbu, Sessegnon. 

Booked: Lescott 5 (foul), Dawson 29 (foul)

Attendance: 40,943

Referee: Michael Jones (Cheshire)

England manager Roy Hodgson watched on as his former side West Brom emerged with a 0-0 draw in controversial circumstances at Sunderland. Hodgson was making a rare trip to the Stadium of Light, but saw little to cheer him on a chill Wearside afternoon with the Black Cats labouring in their efforts to avoid a second successive relegation fight. However, it might have been so different had referee Mike Jones seen two key first-half decisions the same way as the home fans among a crowd of 40,943. Mr Jones opted not to send off last man Joleon Lescott despite awarding a foul for his early challenge on Danny Graham on the advice of assistant Constantine Hatzidakis, who then raised an offside flag to deny Adam Johnson a 45th-minute opener. Sunderland enjoyed the better of the game, but were unable to find the back of the net - legitimately, at least - for the third game in a row, although they looked far more likely to do so than an unadventurous Baggies side, who have now lost only once in 10 outings in all competitions.

Head coach Gus Poyet, who had hinted in the run-up to the game that he would take a gamble on the fitness of Lee Cattermole after a 10-game absence and Jermain Defoe, who missed the FA Cup fifth-round debacle at Bradford with a niggling calf problem, did just that for a game he could not afford to lose. Having pleaded with fans to get behind the team in an open letter earlier in the week and urged his players to give the crowd something to shout about, it was referee Jones and his assistants who prompted the biggest reaction at either end of a drab first half. The game was just five minutes old when Cattermole played striker Graham in behind Lescott. Graham looked to be clear, but he went to ground as the defender recovered, and the home supporters were on their feet calling for blood as the flag went up. Jones produced only a yellow card and replays suggested there had been little contact, but there was a tangible sense of injustice as Sebastian Larsson curled the resulting free-kick into the side-netting. Thereafter, the half unfolded in unspectacular fashion with Cattermole adding a solidity to the Black Cats and opposite number Darren Fletcher probing for the Baggies, although with little success. James Morrison curled an eighth-minute shot on the turn into goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon's arms, but that was the Romanian's only notable action of the opening 45 minutes. Baggies midfielder Claudio Yacob was perhaps fortunate to escape without further action when he was lectured by the referee for pushing Defoe to the ground inside the penalty area for the second time while the pair awaited delivery of a corner. However, that was not the end of the controversy as the home side were denied what they felt was a perfectly good goal on the stroke of half-time. Ricky Alvarez crossed from the right to the far post, where Johnson controlled before rounding Ben Foster and stabbing home, only for a harsh offside flag to end his celebrations. Larsson forced a diving save from Foster deep into injury time, but the stalemate remained.

Sunderland resumed where they had left off after the break, as they dominated possession, however West Brom's organisation left little space to exploit. Full-back Chris Brunt had to block a 55th-minute Alvarez drive after the Argentina international cut inside on to his left foot, and Craig Dawson had to be equally determined to repel Defoe's effort six minutes later. The home side should have gone ahead from the resulting corner when full-back Santiago Vergini met Larsson's cross unopposed, but he glanced his header wide of the far post. As the game entered its final quarter, Poyet sent strikers Connor Wickham and Steven Fletcher on for Graham and Alvarez, and Wickham very nearly made a swift impact when he saw Foster bundle away his header from Johnson's 76th-minute corner, and that was as good as it got as the last push fell short.

Sporting Life

CURRENT CONNECTIONS

Albion midfielder James McClean spent two years as a Sunderland player after joining them from Derry City in August 2011. He moved onto Wigan in August 2013 and spent two seasons with the Latics before he moved to The Hawthorns in June 2015.

Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce was Albion's player / reserve team coach for two years under Brian Talbot from 1989-1991. Dudley-born Allardyce made just one substitute appearance for the Baggies. 'Big Sam' also spent a spell as a Sunderland player during the early 1980s.

Baggies' defender Jonny Evans spent two separate spells on loan at Sunderland during his time with Manchester United.

Stéphane Sessègnon became Albion's record signing when he moved to The Hawthorns in a £6million deal in September 2013. He joined from Sunderland where he had spent two and a half years.

Baggies' midfielder Craig Gardner started his career at Aston Villa, making his first team debut in 2005. The Solihull-born player joined Birmingham City in January 2010 but following the club's relegation from the Premier League 18 months later he left for Sunderland in a reported £6 million deal. He moved to The Hawthorns on a 'Bosman' free in May 2014.

Sunderland defender Billy Jones joined the Black Cats from Albion in the summer of 2014 after his contract at The Hawthorns had expired. He had joined the Baggies in June 2011 from Preston North End.

PAST CONNECTIONS

Amongst the players to have turned out at various levels for both clubs are: Jack Allan, Sam Allardyce, Mark Angel, Brett Angell, Peter Barnes, Jack Boyd, Darren Carter, Frank Cresswell, Shaun Cunnington, Andy Dibble, Danny Dichio, Tony Ford, Carsten Fredgaard, Marton Fulop, Sid Glidden, Tommy Glidden, Don Goodman, Bernt Haas, Jimmy Hamilton, Danny Hegan, Jim Holton, Bobby Hope, Kevin Kilbane, Andy Marriott, Archie McKenzie, Sandy McNab, Paul McShane, Jimmy Millar, Joe Murphy, John Nevin, Jimmy Nicholl, Kevin Phillips, Kieran Richardson, Barry Siddall, Colin Suggett, Billy Thompson, Stanislav Varga, Geoff Wardle, Ike Webb, Colin West and John Wile.

ALL-TIME LEAGUE & CUP RECORD VS SUNDERLAND

PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

Saturday 2nd April

12:45pm - Aston Villa v Chelsea.

3:00pm - Arsenal v Watford; Bournemouth v Manchester City; Norwich City v Newcastle United; Stoke City v Swansea City; Sunderland v Albion; West Ham United v Crystal Palace.

5:30pm - Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur.

Sunday 3rd April

1:30pm - Leicester City v Southampton.

4:00pm - Manchester United v Everton.

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