Bolton Wanderers-Sunderland Preview

Mar 8, 2010 - 7:05 AM GEOFF McALLISTER STATS European Football Writer=

LONDON (SE) - Sunderland host Bolton at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday with both clubs struggling to pull away from the relegation zone with the end of the season rapidly approaching.

The hosts had a terrific start to the season, but Steve Bruce's side have tailed off dramatically, winning just one of the 18 league games since the infamous beach-ball win over Liverpool back in October. The Black Cats currently lie 15th, two points behind the visitors and three above the bottom three with 11 games to play.

Despite the team's poor run of form, chairman Niall Quinn is sticking by his manager.

"I'm the first person to realise the fans haven't had a lot to cheer about," said Quinn. "Steve Bruce has only been here nine months and it takes a while for a team to settle in. But we're really happy that we have the spine of a side that can consistently get into that top 10."

Striker Kenwyne Jones is also backing by his manager and insists that this Sunderland side are still looking upwards, regardless of their perilous position.

"We're not acting as though we are close to relegation," said Jones. "All we have is a situation where we are unable to win a game.

"We are not carrying the fear of being relegated, we are just trying to get back to winning again and finding a good run of form.

"We've managed to draw a few games recently but we need to start turning those draws into wins. We're not going to talk about it as though we are in the bottom three, or anything like that. I know we haven't won a game for a while but it's not like we've been losing every game. Any point that we get right now is a good point.

"Of course it would be great to get that first win, but we have to actually go out there and do it. More than anything else, I think we just have to put everything out of our minds and focus. If we take on a load of all the other stuff, it's probably just going to hamper us."

Sunderland will go into the game with a virtually full-strength squad, with Andy Reid and Jordan Henderson facing late fitness tests.

Bolton, in contrast, have a mounting injury list, with Stuart Holden, Mark Davies, Gary Cahill, Chris Basham, Gavin McCann, Sean Davis and Joey O'Brien all out.

However, manager Owen Coyle will be able to call upon the services of Kevin Davies, a striker who earned the praise of his new boss after the side's 2-1 win over West Ham on Saturday.

"Kevin Davies is a top player. He is sometimes painted as a certain kind of player but he has a lot of assets to his play and is enjoying his football.

"He's not a defender's cup of tea because he's hard to play against. But he's fair and honest. With the right service, he will score. Is it far-fetched to mention him for England? He will do a job for you if you need a target.

"I've said before I've got so much belief in Kevin Davies and he has as well. He's a real leader and that's why he's our captain and he's an integral part of what I want to build at the football club."