There have been a few interesting minor stories in the news recently, here's our latest SAFC roundup.
EMBO BACK IN ACTION
Yesterday Elliot Embleton played his first game since sustaining a broken leg against Hull back in December. The attacking midfielder joined Derby County on loan on deadline day and started in their under-21 Central League Cup game against Lincoln City. Embleton got on the scoresheet in their 5-2 win, showing his quality with an outrageous chip/curler right into the top corner. Hopefully he can step up his rehabilitation and get some minutes in Derby's senior team soon - we all know he's too good for League One when fully fit.
PEMBELE UPDATE
Speaking of injuries, new Sunderland signing Timothee Pembele is currently undergoing a 'personal maintenance programme' as he continues to recover from a long-term ACL injury. His last competitive appearance came in March of last season, so we'll need to show patience with the defender as he regains fitness. The good news is he's signed a five-year contract with Sunderland and is only 21 years old, so it's not as if the clock is against him.
RUSYN UPDATE
And on the topic of new signings, Tony Mowbray has admitted that Nazariy Rusyn is yet to obtain a work permit and he still isn't available for Saturday's game against Queen Park Rangers. Rusyn's signing was announced on deadline day but Sunderland were expecting his paperwork to be sorted out in time for football to resume after the international break. In his press conference Mowbray revealed that the club were still waiting for the work permit to be processed, but provided some hope that there is a chance it may be done in time for the match on Saturday: “We are waiting on visas and what have you. As I sit here now, he’s not available [against QPR], but that might change between now and then.”
LEICESTER MOVED FOR TELLY
In other news, the kickoff time for our away game against Leicester City has been pushed back as it has been selected for broadcast by Sky Sports. Initially scheduled to commence at 7:45pm on Tuesday 24th October, it will now kick off at 8pm on the same day. Minor news but news nonetheless.
GRANTS PROVIDE BOOST
Finally, Sunderland will receive over £5.7M in grant funding from the Open Networks Ecosystem (ONE) will revolutionise the way people experience live sport at the Stadium of Light and esports at the British Esports National Esports Performance Campus in Sunderland. After sifting through the word soup, what's relevant to Sunderland fans is that essentially it seems the SoL will see faster and more reliable 4G and 5G connectivity. The ‘Sunderland Open Network EcosysTem’ (SONET) Project aims for fans to stay connected and benefit from more interactive, digitally enabled facilities and services. This can include enhanced ticketing processes to make entry easier and quicker, smart venue navigation to make it easier to find your seat or facilities and speeding up the browsing and ordering of food and beverages. This will be a welcome boost as everyone knows how frustrating it can be to find signal on a matchday!
SAFC’s Chief Operating Officer, Steve Davison, commented: “This is fantastic news for the City of Sunderland and Sunderland AFC. We are a modern and progressive organisation constantly seeking new ways to embrace innovation and technology, and the SONET Project will unlock immense potential when considering our in-stadium experience. An aligned approach from all stakeholders continues to ensure the City of Sunderland sets the standard nationally and from concerts and events to live sport, this latest transformative milestone will allow us to take further immense strides forward." Please CLICK HERE for the full statement put out by the club.
