Team news

Emerton may make Rovers return Blackburn midfielder Brett Emerton could return from injury to feature against Sunderland at Ewood Park on Monday.

The Australia international's groin problem kept him out of the Boxing Day draw at Wigan but manager Sam Allardyce is hopeful Emerton will be fit for the visit of the Black Cats.

Allardyce may decide to change things up front as on-loan Chelsea striker Franco Di Santo, with one goal all season and none in his last nine appearances, was a virtual spectator against the Latics.

Allardyce is also eager for Benni McCarthy to get among the goals again as squandered chances are currently costing Rovers valuable points.

The South Africa international scored his first Barclays Premier League goal of the season with the 30th-minute opener at Wigan.

However, he also saw a close-range overhead kick brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Chris Kirkland in the second half.

With a number of other opportunities going begging, Allardyce is keen to halt a run of just one win in their last seven matches, starting against the Black Cats.

"My message to the players is to continue to play like that and keep creating those chances and eventually we will put enough away to win a game," said the Rovers boss.

"Benni scored his first (league) goal and it probably would have been two had we had more fortune in front of goal.

"His overhead kick 99 times out of 100 would be a goal and that would have been 2-1 but it hits Chris in the face and it goes down as a great save but I don't think he knew much about it.

"It was more like a home performance from Benni, which is very important because he is a very talented link player for us." Allardyce knows McCarthy is desperate to feature at next summer's World Cup and hopes that can be a motivating factor.

But the Blackburn manager is just concentrating on getting the 32-year-old - and his other goal-shy forwards - to score more as they have recorded just two goals in their last seven league matches.

"He needs to feature for South Africa in the World Cup because, one, it is his last chance, and, two, it's in his own country," said Allardyce of McCarthy.

"It would be ludicrous to think he didn't want to play for them but I'm not interested in that. He might be but I'm not." Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is facing a fresh injury crisis.

Central defender John Mensah, who is due to head off to the African Nations Cup with Ghana after the game at Ewood Park, limped out of the 1-1 home draw with Everton on Boxing Day after damaging his hamstring.

With Michael Turner serving the second instalment of his four-match ban and Anton Ferdinand (ankle) still sidelined, Bruce has big decisions to make at the heart of his defence.

Midfielder Lee Cattermole missed the Everton game after tweaking his hamstring in training on Christmas Day and remains a doubt, while Kieran Richardson was also unavailable with a calf injury.

Striker Kenwyne Jones ended the Everton game with a calf problem, and will be assessed today, while keeper Craig Gordon (broken arm) remains on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Nyron Nosworthy has urged his Sunderland team-mates to be more ruthless at both ends of the pitch if they are to get their season back on track.

The Black Cats have won just one of their last 10 Premier League games and collected only six points in the process.

Eighteen of their haul of 22 points to date have been secured at the Stadium of Light and they have lost seven of their nine away games to date, including each of the last five.

However, they are without a win anywhere in six league games and the home form that propelled them into the upper reaches of the table during the early months of the campaign has deserted them.

Nosworthy, who could find himself thrust back into the team at Ewood Park amid a fresh selection crisis, admits Sunderland need to be more clinical in both penalty areas if they are to arrest their decline.

He said: "It's a bit of both - it's being ruthless in front of goal and defending as a team, as a whole.

"You can't always rely on the boys up front to be putting away loads of goals to ease the pressure on us.

Blackburn vs Sunderland

Last modified 13:55 09/01/10

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The joke going around Sunderland is that Steve Bruce has banned his players from keeping dogs.

The punchline? His side can’t hold on to leads these days.

How many times will Sunderland get themselves into a perfect position in the heat of a battle before a slip-up at the back ruins it?

It has happened three times this month, against Portsmouth, Everton and Blackburn, costing Bruce six much needed points.

And it stretched the Black Cats’ winless run to seven games, or more worryingly one win in 12.

Prolific England striker Darren Bent handed Sunderland the lead twice yesterday, taking his tally to 13 this season, and gave England boss Fabio Capello a reminder of his special poaching talents.

But twice spirited Rovers fought back through Morten Gamst Pedersen, within 60 seconds of the opener, and Sunderland old boy El Hadji Diouf.

It could have been even better for Rovers had Chris Samba not stabbed wide in front of an open goal in the last minute, blowing his chance of glory.

In the context of Sunderland’s injury and suspension woes - eight first teamers unavailable - this was a creditable point. Especially with impressive debutant David Meyler, 20, alongside teenager Jordan Henderson in midfield.

Bruce said: “That miss at the end will be on a few Christmas videos, but we deserved a bit of luck. I am delighted we got something, despite our problems. We are down to the bare bones. We are disappointed, taking the lead twice and not winning.

“Bent has done terrifically well. He has been a breath of fresh air. He was delighted to come to us. He has had a wonderful start and we now need to help him by getting others scoring.

“We have been frustrated in the last five or six weeks. Halfway through, we are where we are. Home form ok, away form, that is only our fifth point.”

Bent got this game going after the break with an ugly, scrambled goal, but Sunderland were not complaining.

Daryl Murphy got to the byline and crossed for Nyron Nosworthy to scramble in a shot that was blocked. But Bent was on hand to hit the loose ball first time through a wall of diving bodies.

Within a minute, though, Rovers were level. Morten Gamst Pedersen ran on to a flick from Benni McCarthy and attacked Phil Bardley. The ex-Manchester United right-back slipped, and went to ground as if injured.

Pedersen saw his chance, cut inside Nyron Nosworthy and drove a right foot shot in off Marton Fulop’s post.

Bent struck again, this time with a goal that was a beauty to regain the lead for Bruce’s brave side.

Teenager Jordan Henderson, who is performing a man’s role and showing why Capello asked Bent about his ability at a recent training camp, slipped his team-mate clear with an exquisite through ball.

Bent raced clear on goal and from 18 yards placed a low shot just inside Paul Robinson’s right hand post. He was only denied a hat-trick by a fine Robinson save when he curled in a left footer from outside the box.

But Sam Allardyce knows how to create a story. El Hadji Diouf left the Stadium of Light under a cloud, including a dressing room row with Anton Ferdinand. So perhaps it was inevitable that he grabbed Rovers a point with the late leveller.

Pascal Chimbonda, was also axed by Sunderland after under-performing, swung in a good cross to the six-yard box. Diouf leapt above Nosworthy to head home.

The second half action was a relief. Has a more soulless, dire half of football been played in the Premier League than the first attritional half at Ewood Park yesterday?

Bruce said: “It was the worst game I have ever witnessed in the first half. If you’d asked 22 players to keep the ball away from each other like that they wouldn’t have been able to! Second half, with tiredness and fatigue, with two games in three days, it produced a spectacle.”