Richardson injury blow

Sunderland boss Roy Keane has confirmed that young midfield starlet Kieran Richardson will be out of action for three weeks after hurting his hamstring in training. Richardson has been in inspired form of late, grabbing a hattrick for the Black Cats.

"Kieran will be out for about three weeks, he's damaged his hamstring but that's life and you have to get on with the challenge," said Black Cats boss Roy Keane.

"We seem to take one step forward and two back at the moment, whether that be football results or injuries. We're missing Grant (Leadbitter), he is out for two to three weeks with a broken toe. Danny Higginbotham is out for four to six weeks. That is the challenge we face.

"Kieran is one of our more quality players but I felt the players that came in on Saturday did a good job. But a player like Kieran, and Kenwyne Jones and even Carlos Edwards, we miss that quality without a doubt.

"We'll persevere. Perseverance is possibly the biggest word you can use in football. You get setbacks and the result on Saturday was a disappointment but life goes on and makes the next match even bigger."