Curbishley fine-tuning Charlton

Alan Curbishley again tinkered with his side as he looked to get Charlton back to winning ways against bottom club Sunderland at The Valley.

Radostin Kishishev returned to the centre of a five-man midfield following a one-match ban, Jerome Thomas started on the right wing and Chris Powell came in to defence for Jonathan Spector, who did not make the squad.

Dennis Rommedahl was restored to the bench as Curbishley sought to end a run of six straight defeats.

Sunderland were also in a terrible run of form, having lost eight league games on the spin.

Midfielder Julio Arca returned to the side after more than two months on the sidelines with a fractured toe.

Charlton: Kiely, Young, Perry, Hreidarsson, Powell, Kishishev, Thomas, Murphy, Smertin, Ambrose, Bent. Subs: El Karkouri, Bartlett, Rommedahl, Hughes, Myhre.

Sunderland: Davis, Nosworthy, Breen, Caldwell, Hoyte, Lawrence, Whitehead, Bassila, Arca, Le Tallec, Gray. Subs: Stead, Alnwick, Collins, Woods, Leadbitter.

Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire)