Sunderland defender has this message for fans as he misses Bradford clash

Bryan Oviedo has a message of apology for Sunderland fans, as manager Jack Ross reveals how 'gutted' the full-back is after seeing red on Tuesday evening.
Bryan Oviedo has an apologetic message for Sunderland fansBryan Oviedo has an apologetic message for Sunderland fans
Bryan Oviedo has an apologetic message for Sunderland fans

The defender's needless kick out at Marcus Maddison saw him given his marching orders in a decision which helped the Posh claw their way back and gain a point.

Jack Ross had no qualms with the sending-off, although did admit it wasn't the Costa Rica international's typical behaviour.

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Fans, too, struggled to dispute the red card but questioned the discipline of someone who is one of the club's more senior players.

But the Sunderland boss has now revealed Oviedo's message of apology as he prepares to sit out the trip to Bradford City tomorrow afternoon, saying the left-back is 'genuinely gutted'.

"He came to speak to me this morning, he was very apologetic," said Ross, speaking at his pre-match press conference.

"He was gutted about it, it is the first red card of his career. I said after the game that it was uncharacteristic.

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"For me, it's a mistake, a poor choice. A mistake like passing it back to Jon, someone intercepting and scoring. It's a mistake. T

"he game is played by human beings, it was disappointing but he is genuinely gutted, I can see that in him.

"It's happened, there's zero Bryan or I can do about it now.

"He'll miss a few games and then it'll be up to him to get back into the team because it gives an opportunity to someone else now."

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That opportunity is likely to fall to summer singing Reece James who, thanks to Oviedo's suspension and an injury to Denver Hume, is now the only natural left-back at Ross' disposal.

And the Scot is keen to see the former Wigan man seize his opportunity and has every faith given his previous performances in red and white.

"It is an opportunity," Ross admitted.

"Not just a one off, but potentially a run of games. The thing with Reece is that's done fine when he's had opportunities.

"I go back to Gillingham away, he was thrown in without game time and did really well on the night.

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"For me as a manager, it stresses how important it is to keep communicating with players when they're not in the team. Reece and I still speak, his attitude has been good and he has trained really well.

"You never know when you'll need players so I think the good thing is I'm not all of a sudden going on like his best pal when I haven't spoken to him for weeks.

"He's a good player, he's won promotions with Wigan. I've got no worries about him at all,

"I just hope he takes the opportunity and then it's up to someone else to get him out of the team."