'Best target man in the league on his day': The Accrington Stanley threats Sunderland will have to be wary of

Sunderland will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they face Accrington Stanley this weekend- but what can Lee Johnson’s side expect at the Wham Stadium?
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Sunderland won 2-1 when the sides met in September, with Dan Neil and Carl Winchester scoring the goals.

To find out more about Accrington, we caught up with PA announcer Joshua Adcroft to get the inside track:

It was a close game earlier in the season, how have Accrington done since?

Accrington Stanley striker Colby Bishop.Accrington Stanley striker Colby Bishop.
Accrington Stanley striker Colby Bishop.
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JA: "Very inconsistent! We've shown glimpses of some really good performances but towards the back end of last year individual defensive errors meant we leaked goals for fun.

"Results picked up in December so hopefully we can build on our performances and get a run together.”

What system are Accrington likely to play?

JA: We are usually very direct in getting the ball up to Colby Bishop and picking up second balls around the 18 yard box.

"We are usually very forward minded at home so will look to create chances from the off and take the game to Sunderland.

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"Formation wise could be anyone's guess, we've been hampered by injuries and Covid so have had to utilise 3-5-2, 4-4-2, 3-4-2-1 and 5-4-1 formations in recent weeks.”

Who are Accrington’s key players?

JA: “Colby Bishop and goalkeeper Toby Savin are our two key players this season.

"Colby on his day is the best target man striker in the league and his goals have been valuable to us this season, especially as he is in essence our only senior striker in the squad.

"Toby has improved massively from his debut pro season last year, he has worked so much on his positioning, is a great shot stopper and is a real presence in our box claiming high balls, something which maybe let him down a little last season.”

What is the aim for Accrington this season?

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JA: “Promotion. We have established ourselves well in League One, have proven we can compete with anyone in this league, and with the players in our squad, there is no reason why we would be out of place in the play-offs this season.”

Finally, what’s your predicted line-up?

JA: “Savin, Sykes, Nottingham, Amankwah, Clark, Pell, Butcher, Leigh, Hamilton, McConville, Bishop.”

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