Fighting fit Black Cats keeper Craig Gordon poised to pounce on return

04 February 2009 11:01
Sunderland [LNB]goalkeeper Craig Gordon cannot wait to feel the adrenaline rush of first-team football again when he walks out at Ewood Park tonight.   [LNB]Scotland's No 1 has been sidelined for the last two months with an ankle problem after suffering a recurrence of the injury in Sunderland's 4-1 defeat at home to Bolton in November, Roy Keane's last game in charge of the Wearsiders.   [LNB]A frustrated Gordon is set to return for the Black Cats tonight (Wednesday) in their FA Cup fourth-round replay at Blackburn, with a home game against Coventry in the fifth round at stake.   [LNB][LNB][LNB] Gloves are back on: Gordon is ready to make his comeback[LNB]The 6ft 4ins shot-stopper, who has been included in George Burley's squad gathering in Scotland next week, is relishing the prospect of playing again.[LNB]And he also views tonight's game as a chance to reclaim the jersey from in-form Hungarian Marton Fulop.   [LNB]'It's been a while so I'm looking forward to getting back into action and hopefully have a good game,' said Gordon.   [LNB]'It's always good to know that you're going to be playing in the next game, and it's been a while for me, so I'm sure I'll be getting that adrenaline burst and excitement going in to the game.   [LNB]'I've been training for about two weeks now and I had been hoping to get a reserve match or a friendly game under my belt first. That didn't work out, but I'm still ready to start playing competitive games.   [LNB]'It's a chance for me to get back in and do my job, then it's up to the manager to decide, but I just need to do as well as I can.'   [LNB]Sunderland have not progressed beyond the fourth round of the FA Cup since 2004, when they reached the semi-finals, and the 26-year-old reckons Sunderland will have to be at their best against Rovers.   [LNB]He continued: 'If we manage to get through to the next round then it's a home tie next and suddenly you're in the later stages of the competition, so it's a very important game for the club and one that we'll be trying our best to win.   [LNB]'We've got to be focused on this game before we can look too far ahead. We've picked up a few injuries from the derby game so we'll have to work extremely hard to get through.' [LNB]  Blackburn v SUNDERLAND: Keeper Gordon set for comeback[LNB]BLACKBURN v Sunderland: Big Sam set to tinker his Rovers squad[LNB]Richardson for Newcastle? It's a joke, say Sunderland[LNB]EXCLUSIVE: Newcastle boss Kinnear failed with last-gasp bid for Sunderland star Richardson[LNB]SUNDERLAND FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NET[LNB] [LNB]  

Source: Daily_Mail