Bent fitness boost for Black Cats

Nov 27 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

SUNDERLAND have been handed a massive boost ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Wigan Athletic with the unexpected news that top-scorer Darren Bent could start the game.

The striker injured his hamstring in last week’s 1-0 win over Arsenal and was expected to be ruled out for three weeks. But after much investigation, the Black Cats’ medical team have decided Bent’s problem was probably no more than cramp, and the 25-year-old is expected to be on the team bus having returned to training yesterday.

Under any circumstances the loss of the Premier League’s top-scoring Englishman would be a huge blow, but even more so tomorrow. Kenwyne Jones completes a three-match ban in a game which will be an important test of character for both sides.

Roberto Martinez’s men will be smarting from last week’s humiliating 9-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, while Bruce will want to see his team follow up a good home win against one of the division’s glamour sides with three points away to one of its lesser lights – something which has proved beyond them this season.

It made yesterday’s medial bulletin from the Academy of Light all the sweeter. “If it was just a cut or a knock that would be one thing, but he’s obviously felt

something,” Bruce (pictured right) said of Bent’s problem. “We think it was more cramp and fatigue and the muscle tightening up. We’ve been very thorough in the scans and all the stuff that we can do. With a hamstring injury he wouldn’t be bounding around like he was on Thursday if he’d nicked it. We’ll see how he is on Friday. But it gave everyone a huge lift to see him on the training ground, that’s for sure.