League One news: Rival boss talks summer transfers ahead of Good Friday clash against Sunderland in League One

Sunderland play Shrewsbury Town at the Stadium of Light tomorrow in League One with Alex Neil’s side hoping to strengthen their play-off chances.

Speaking ahead of the clash, however, Town boss Cotterill, a former assistant manager with Sunderland, delivered his verdict on recruitment this coming summer and Friday’s game in League One.

"Their (Ipswich’s) wage bill will probably be four or five times ours. As I’ve said to our boys you can predominantly pick who you want if you’re Ipswich,” Cotterill said.

“Everybody talks about recruitment, but you’re not going to go and buy a brand new Mercedes for 10 grand.

“You’ve got to go somewhere else to buy a different make of car, because that’s not going to happen.

“We have to rely a lot on getting good lads that are going to be part of a team. Ipswich have got some very good players, you only have to look at their bench last weekend – and that’ll happen in a few games we have left.

“The strength of people’s bench is enormous, even when the game gets tight they can chuck on a couple of real good individual talents.

“Ipswich individually and collectively have better players than we have – the lads know that – and that’s why our team ethic always has to be good here.”

On tomorrow’s match against Sunderland, Cotterill said: “We’ve had plenty of opportunities go against us this season where someone has scored a goal late in the game.

“Whenever we play any of these big teams at home they’re always going to be dangerous, they have a great following behind them and there’s not as much pressure at our stadium compared to when they play at some of their stadiums.

“So they can be dangerous and play more freely away.”

Sunderland have also revealed they have already sold a staggering 18,500 season cards for next year with the early-bird deadline extended after ‘exceptional demand’.