Bruce to welcome back Catt

Midfielder will return this month

Last updated: 3rd December 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Bruce to welcome back Catt

Cattermole: Set to return

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Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has confirmed midfielder Lee Cattermole will be back in action for the busy festive period.

The tough-tackling former Middlesbrough and Wigan player suffered knee ligament damage in the victory over Liverpool on 17th October.

Cattermole was initially ruled out for three months but has made a rapid recovery and is on course to return this month.

The Black Cats remain well placed in the top half of the Premier League table on the back of some impressive home performances, but continue to struggle away from home.

All-action Cattermole was brought in during the summer to bring added steel to the side, and his impending return will provide the Wearsiders with a welcome lift.

Bruce said: "Christmas is a big time for us and Lee should be available."

Turner

Meanwhile, defender Michael Turner knows Sunderland must bring an end to their away-day misery if they are to achieve their dreams.

They have collected just four points from a possible 21 away from the Stadium of Light, where they have lost to Stoke, Burnley, Birmingham, Tottenham and Wigan.

That is in stark contrast to their form on their own patch, where they have taken 16 points from seven games and have beaten both Liverpool and Arsenal.

Turner told The Journal: "Beating some of the top teams and then losing to some of the lesser teams is something we have got to put right if we want to progress in the direction we feel we can go.

"We need to learn from it quickly. It's happened on so many occasions that the manager is not tolerating it anymore, and that's understandable.

"Understandably, he's frustrated and so are all of the players, to be honest. We want to be consistent, we want to go on a run of form that can see us progress, and we are fully capable of doing that. But we have to get away from performances like Saturday."