Hull City v Sunderland: Cattermole allowing no excuses against ´bogey team´

Sunderland visit Hull City in a Premier League fixture that could have ramifications at the bottom of the table on Tuesday.

Lee Cattermole insists Sunderland will have no excuses for failure in Tuesday’s potentially crucial relegation six-pointer against “bogey team” Hull City.

Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Manchester United marked a fourth consecutive Premier League match without a win for Gus Poyet’s side.

That game was marred by a highly controversial incident, though, as Wes Brown was sent off despite team-mate John O’Shea seemingly committing the foul on Radamel Falcao which led to Wayne Rooney opening the scoring from the penalty spot.

Referee Roger East later insisted it was not a case of mistaken identity and, as things stand, Brown will be suspended for the trip to the KC Stadium – although the club have launched an appeal.

Hull have proved troublesome for Sunderland in recent times, with the Wearsiders having lost their past four matches against the Yorkshire club – including a 3-1 defeat in the reverse fixture on Boxing Day.

But midfielder Cattermole will not allow the United controversy to be a distraction and is desperate for Sunderland to increase the three-point gap to the relegation zone.

“We’ll put this [United defeat] to bed early and look to Tuesday – it’s a tough game,” he told Sunderland’s official website. 

“We’ll bounce back. We’ll look to take positives with Tuesday coming so quick we have to recover well.

“I think Hull have been our bogey team, we always seem to play them after a big game. Twice after Newcastle, once after a cup final, now after Manchester United. 

“It seems to come at the wrong time. There will be no excuses, we have to go there, be organised and look to pick some points up.”

Hull are just one place and one point above Sunderland in 15th and a 1-0 defeat at Stoke City on Saturday ended a three-match unbeaten league run.

Before that Steve Bruce’s men had won back-to-back games at the KC and centre-back Michael Dawson is seeking further home comfort against Poyet’s men.

“Sunderland is massive,” he said. “Both teams are fighting for survival and they come to the KC and we’ve got to pick ourselves up quick and go again.

“All we can do is concentrate on ourselves and hopefully continue our run of good form at home that we have been on in recent games, but Tuesday is a big one.”

Bruce confirmed after the Stoke defeat that winger Robbie Brady could spend months on the sidelines with a calf injury, joining the likes of Mohamed Diame, Robert Snodgrass (both knee), James Chester (shoulder) and Liam Rosenior (hamstring) in the treatment room – although the manager will hope Nikica Jelavic can shake off the knee complaint that saw him miss the Stoke match.

Sunderland are set to be without Emanuele Giaccherini (ankle) for the rest of the campaign, while Billy Jones and Jack Rodwell (both knocks) are likely to sit out again.