Four debuts in Sunderland line-up

Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy handed debuts to four of his 10 summer signings as the Black Cats returned to the Premiership against Charlton at the Stadium of Light today.

Kelvin Davis, Jonathan Stead, Tommy Miller and Andy Gray all started as McCarthy sought to begin the daunting prospect of proving most pundits wrong and extending his side’s top-flight tenure.

Fellow new boy Nyron Nosworthy started from the bench but there was no place in the squad for either Alan Stubbs or on-loan Liverpool striker Anthony Le Tallec.

Charlton boss Alan Curbishley also unleashed four debutants as the Addicks travelled north looking for their first Premiership away win since last January.

Curbishley was hoping new boys Darren Bent, Darren Ambrose, Alexei Smertin and the returning Chris Powell could help allay some of the criticism which went his way after his side’s disappointing end to last season’s campaign.

Sunderland: Davis, Wright, Breen, Caldwell, Arca, Whitehead, Miller, Robinson, Welsh, Gray, Stead. Subs: Lawrence, Elliott, Nosworthy, Brown, Joe Murphy.

Charlton: Andersen, Young, Perry, Hreidarsson, Powell, Murphy, Smertin, Kishishev, Rommedahl, Bent, Ambrose. Subs: Thomas, Bartlett, Hughes, Fortune, Myhre.

Referee: H Webb (S Yorkshire)