'It's swollen up very, very quickly' - Sunderland defender to undergo X-ray

Phil Parkinson hailed the ‘outstanding’ work ethic of his Sunderland side after delivering yet another clean sheet at the County Ground.
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Parkinson was forced to name a much-changed defence, with Tom Flanagan and Denver Hume both injured.

There were further problems early in the contest when Jordan Willis was forced up through injury, and yet the Black Cats were again resilient throughout the contest.

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Parkinson brought Max Power and Chris Maguire back into the side, who formed an aggressive forward line with Charlie Wyke and Josh Scowen.

Phil Parkinson hailed Charlie Wyke's contribution to Sunderland's winPhil Parkinson hailed Charlie Wyke's contribution to Sunderland's win
Phil Parkinson hailed Charlie Wyke's contribution to Sunderland's win

Their relentless pressing delighted the Sunderland boss, stifling a Swindon side who can be a handful on their home turf.

Wyke vindicated his manager’s call with a fine goal to open the scoring.

"It was a great win for us,” Parkinson said.

“We had to make changes and then we've lost Jordan, so we could easily be stood here making excuses.

“But the lads stuck to the task brilliantly.

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“The first half we controlled, the second half they came out and were always going to have that lift of energy.

“We withstood it, got the second goal and deservedly got the win,” he added.

“I thought the work ethic was outstanding today. That starts with the front two, Charlie and Chrissy both got a goal but it's about more than that, it’s about closing down and they laid a great platform for us.

“We pressed right until the end, which shows you our fitness levels are very high.

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“We're at our best when we press the opposition and the work ethic was very good.

“Charlie's all-round performance was excellent.

“Won header, ran the channels, and got a goal. He’s got to put demands on himself on that front because he’s more than capable.”

Parkinson is hoping that Willis has not suffered a serious problem, with the 26-year-old set for an X-ray on a foot problem.

“It's an impact injury on his foot,” Parkinson said.

“It's swollen up very, very quickly. So we just hope it's nothing more severe than just an impact injury on his foot.

“It will likely need an X-ray and then we'll assess it.”