Sunderland's bench is strong as anything outside the Premier League

As Sunderland have only had one home league game in the last six weeks, I think the fans will be really looking forward to Saturday's home clash against Wycombe Wanderers.
Jack Ross has plenty options at Sunderland when everyone is fit.Jack Ross has plenty options at Sunderland when everyone is fit.
Jack Ross has plenty options at Sunderland when everyone is fit.

The good news is all those away league games haven’t compromised Sunderland’s position in the table, it’s strengthened it as a string of wins has moved them up to second.

Results wise, Sunderland have been on fire lately, and there’s absolutely no reason why Wycombe should stop the good run. So I expect Sunderland to make it six league wins out of six on Saturday and will be hugely disappointed if they don’t.

Sunderlands George Honeyman and Reece James celebrate during Sundays FA Cup win over Port Vale.Sunderlands George Honeyman and Reece James celebrate during Sundays FA Cup win over Port Vale.
Sunderlands George Honeyman and Reece James celebrate during Sundays FA Cup win over Port Vale.
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The Wycombe payers, like all of Sunderland’s opponents in this league, will be fired up and relishing the opportunity to show what they can do at one of the biggest grounds in the country.

Every away player always goes out about an hour before kick-off to familiarise themselves with the conditions and the stadium itself.

I can just imagine what the Wycombe players will be thinking when they see the pitch and the magnificent surroundings. For players more used to Accrington and Fleetwood, it must be jaw dropping.

However the Sunderland players are getting used to that now, they’ve stopped giving early goals away to opponents obviously inspired early on, and defensively they look far more resilient and organised.

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As a lot of our players are relatively new to the club too, I think playing at the Stadium of Light will still be inspiring for them, and they seem to be handling the expectation better now.

If they can get another three points on Saturday, they’ll certainly inspire the fans and keep the feel-good factor around the club going.

Wycombe might be in the bottom half, but they beat high-flying Peterborough in their last league game.

So they must be respected, as Peterborough’s away record this season is very impressive.

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By beating Posh, Wycombe also did Sunderland a big favour, allowing us to claim one of the automatic promotion spots, so that’s a good reason to give a sporting welcome to Wycombe and their fans. But as ever, that welcome stops at 3pm.

With more players coming back from injury, our options are growing, and the battle to nail down a starting position is becoming intense. That fierce competition means whoever is left out will have a point to prove and strengthens the bench.

When everyone is fit, Sunderland’s bench has to be as strong as anything outside the Premier League.