Jack Ross will be without a key midfielder for a couple more weeks as his Black Cats side hunt a way into the top two of League One.

Lee Cattermole missed the weekend's win against Wimbledon and has only appeared twice since New Year's Day despite being on the comeback trail. Ross revealed to the Sunderland Echo the extent of his current lay off and why he's set for another spell on the treatment table.

"Lee picked up an ankle injury on Thursday," he said. "He's likely to be out for a week or two."

This comes as the Black Cats face a punishing few weeks, with no fewer than three home matches in the space of eight days. They're also set for a Football League Trophy semi-final on Match 5th, which will be their seventh game inside a month.

One bit of good news is the possible return of new signing Will Grigg. He missed the weekend's win after picking up an injury with Wigan on Jan 19th, but he's due to return to training this week.

The report states Ross is hopeful of having him involved in some way when they travel to Oxford United this Saturday.

The Verdict

Having Grigg in the side will be a big boost, but the quality throughout their squad is frightening. Jack Baldwin had to sit on the bench this weekend as did top quality players such as Dylan McGeouch and Chris Maguire.

The players who helped fire them to fourth in the table might find their chances limited as we move into the business end of the season.