Sunderland should welcome back Lynden Gooch and Aiden McGeady for their League One clash with Bristol Rovers on Saturday after the duo were forced out of the FA Cup clash with Walsall last night.  

Jack Ross watched his side crash out of the FA Cup at the second round stage against Walsall, who won 1-0 at the Stadium of Light.

The manager expressed his annoyance at the defeat, but conceded that it was his preference to have key players like Gooch and McGeady fully fit for the League One clash with Bristol Rovers after leaving the pair out against Walsall.

Speaking to the Chronicle Live, Ross said: “It stings not to win the game and be out of the competition.

“But, and I’m stating the obvious here, I would rather have Aiden and Lynden available for the league game on Saturday.

“They should be fine for Saturday.”

Sunderland enter the clash with Bristol Rovers sitting third in the League One table after having their game with Accrington Stanley postponed last weekend.

Despite that, they’re just a single point behind Luton Town in second, whilst they trail Portsmouth by seven points at this stage.

Ross can take confidence from the fact that his side have two games in hand over Luton, whilst they have an extra game to play over Portsmouth.

The Verdict

It was obviously disappointing for Sunderland to crash out of the FA Cup last night, but for Ross, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place in terms of his selection.

The league has to be a priority and getting players like Gooch and McGeady ready for Saturday was important.

To add to that, there will be a big fixture pile-up facing Sunderland shortly, with the Black Cats having two games in hand over most.

Having a fully fit squad will be important to that too.

Thoughts? Let us know!