'A couple who have been ill' - Sunderland coach delivers this update ahead of weekend clash

The clash away from home in West Yorkshire offers the chance to bounce back from last weekend’s 7-0 loss against Women’s Super League side Aston Villa in the League Cup.

“It’s about learning and moving forward,” Reay explained to safc.com. “We always knew Sunday was going to be a tough game against a professional WSL outfit in Aston Villa.

“We’re ambitious and we want to be at that level in the future, but it’s not a stage we’re at yet. And with the injuries that we had, it was a tough game to play in, but this is a new week and they’ve trained fantastically to try and put in a better performance at Brighouse.”

Brighouse earned promotion to the third tier last season and compete in the division below Sunderland Ladies.

“We’ve played them a couple of times, and they’re a good side,” Reay added. “Rob has a competitive squad there who have just been promoted into the third tier.

“We’re expecting a tough game against a well-organised team, everyone wants to play which is good, and the focus for us is to ensure we have players available for Sheffield United in the league the following week.

The Wearsiders are still suffering from a few absentees and injuries which hamstrung the Ladies head coach before Sunderland Ladies faces Aston Villa.

Reay, though, says a decision on a number of players will not be made until the last minute.

“We’re still monitoring players at the moment so there isn’t a definitive update just yet.

“We’ve had a couple who have been ill during the week too, so it’s a call we’ll just have to make nearer the game itself.

“We’ve made no secret that the league takes priority for us, but we play football to win – we’ll mix it up a bit and Sunday and Wednesday give us a chance to gain important momentum and match sharpness. It’s a chance for players to show what they can do.”

A message from the Football Clubs Editor

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Sunderland AFC coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription to our new sports-only package here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor