Sunderland aim to exorcise Goodison demons

Steve Bruce hopes Sunderland can lay their Goodison Park ghosts to rest on Saturday after years of poor results against Everton.

“The game there last year was probably our worst of last season,” he said. “In the first half we were absolutely inept.”

That match finished 2-0 to the home side, continuing a dismal record for Sunderland of not having won at Everton since 1996.

But the Black Cats boss is the first to admit that Everton are no pushovers and not only is he full of praise for opposite number David Moyes but sees the Merseysiders as role models for Sunderland to emulate.

“We’ve got to get ourselves established in the Premier League like Everton,” he said. “They seem to have been in the top flight in this country since the year dot.”

“David Moyes has maybe not had the financial muscle of other clubs but you have to admire what he does.”

“It shows you how tough the Premier League is when a club like Everton are still in the bottom half of the table.”

“But he has done a fabulous job over the years and he’s given them huge stability.”

“When he first went in there, they were always at the bottom but he’s turned them round and they had a wonderful result last week, winning in the FA Cup at Chelsea.”

“That’s my vision of where Sunderland should be – cemented in the Premier League year-in, year-out and regularly finishing in the top 10.”

A trip to Everton hardly promises to be the solution to ending Sunderland’s run of three successive defeats.

And it won’t get any easier over the subsequent three games with trips to Arsenal and Manchester City sandwiching a Stadium of Light clash against Liverpool.

But Bruce points to the way Sunderland have already upset the odds this season as evidence that they won’t be overawed by the task ahead.

“I remember after losing against Newcastle that we had Stoke at home, Tottenham away and Chelsea away,” he said.

“Everybody said ‘here we go’, but we picked up seven points from it.”

“We know they’re tough games but that’s the way the Premier League is.”

“It’s important we stick in there and keep ourselves in the top 10.”

“If we can do that, then come April and May when we’ve got a few coming back from injury, we’ve got an outstanding chance of having a good season.”

Bruce may hand a recall to Ahmed Elmohamady ahead of Steed Malbranque in Sunderland’s midfield on Saturday while Belgian Under-21 keeper Simon Mignolet is on stand-by to deputise for injury doubt Craig Gordon who is troubled by a sore knee.

But Fraizer Campbell, Lee Cattermole and Danny Welbeck will not be involved despite edging closer to a return.