SUNDERLAND 10 YEARS AGO: Cats can add to Wolves' woe, McCarthy tribute to Keane

SORRY, MICK!:

Cats can add to Wolves’ woe, says Nosworthy

NYRON NOSWORTHY says he has great respect for former boss Mick McCarthy but that won’t stop him trying to end Wolves’ automatic promotion hopes on Saturday.

 The Sunderland defender will take on his former mentor when McCarthy brings his Midlands outfit to the Stadium of Light.

 And after Wanderers’ 6-0 trouncing by Southampton last weekend, McCarthy will know he cannot afford his side to lose in the north east and retain slim hopes of automatic promotion.

 Nosworthy said: “It’s a massive game for them as well as for us. But it’s a game that all the lads are looking forward to because we know if we get it right we could be another big step towards automatic promotion.

 “I’m looking forward to seeing Mick because he has my every respect. He’s the guy who brought me to Sunderland in the first place and I thank him for that because I love being here.

 “I liked him as a man and as a manager – he’s passionate about his football and you regularly used to hear him on the sidelines when you were playing.

 “I think he did well for the club overall but obviously last season in the Premiership was very difficult and when things go against you it’s always the manager who ends up paying the price and he got the sack.

 “He seems to have bounced back at Wolves though and they are doing a lot better than people thought they would at the beginning of the season. But it’s our job this weekend to make sure they don’t gain any ground on us.”

 Sunderland are expecting a crowd up around the 40,000 mark for the attractive fixture. And Nosworthy reckons the home crowd could have a big influence on the game.

 He said: “Our followings away from home have been unbelievable and the lads love going away from home and trying to give them a good time.

 “But when we are at home we have the advantage of having the vast majority of fans on our side and lately the atmosphere in the ground has been great with the crowds coming back and getting right behind us.

 “It will be an intimidating place for Wolves to come.

 “And while they’ve got very good, experienced players like my former team-mate Gary Breen playing for them who won’t be fazed by that, there’s no doubt that when out fans get right behind us at home it does have an effect on both the opposition and ourselves.”

MCCARTHY TRIBUTE TO ROY’S FINE JOB:

THE thawing of formerly ice-cold relations between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy continued last night when the Wolves manager paid tribute to the job being done on Wearside by the Manchester United legend.

 McCarthy brings his Wolves to the Stadium of Light this Saturday and says Keane should be given credit for the way he has turned the club around since it crashed out of the Premiership last year.

 Keane was today expected to be awarded his second Manager of the Month gong and McCarthy said: “I think Sunderland have done exceptionally well under Roy and he had made a terrific start to management there.

 “I know the ball can roll when you start getting confident, because it breeds more confidence and before you know it you are on a 10, 11 or 12-match unbeaten run.

 “That’s what has happened at Sunderland, they have had a few good results and it has snowballed from there.

 “Well done to Roy Keane for doing that.”

 McCarthy enjoyed a bitter sweet time during his two-year spell at Sunderland.

 He was at the helm when Sunderland were disastrously relegated from the Premiership with only 19 points and he was sacked just before they crashed out of the top-flight again, this time with 15 points.

 But in between that he led the team to the play-offs and the FA Cup final in the first full season in charge.

 And he got the club promoted as Championship champions in this second campaign.

 He said: “I had some great memories at Sunderland and winning promotion there was obviously very special.

 “The supporters there were fantastic to me.”

 That will be forgotten this weekend, though, as he looks for his players to bounce back from the 6-0 drubbing they took from Southampton last weekend.

 He said: “Having watched the video, for the first 20 minutes there was only one team going to win it. Then what happened was farcical.

 “I’ve told the players what has happened in the past is that, it is in the past.

 “There’s nothing they can do about it now.

 “All they can do if affect the future and in that sense they have to respond.

 “They have to get it out of their systems now and get on with the job we had at the start of the season, trying to secure promotion which for a club like Wolves, should be achievable.”