Keane issues player warning

Sunderland manager Roy Keane has warned his players they face a long season if they fail to buck up their ideas following the friendly defeat 1-0 to Coca-Cola Championship new boys Scunthorpe.

New £5million striker Michael Chopra and fellow recent arrival Dickson Etuhu both started for the Black Cats but it was the Iron who prospered, scoring the decisive goal in the second minute when Nyron Nosworthy’s poor attempted pass ricocheted off an opponent and dropped at the feet of Martin Paterson, who fired past Darren Ward.

Keane’s side struggled to get back into the game, with Daryl Murphy coming closest to an equaliser when he hit the outside of a post in the second period.

And Keane, who guided his side to an instant return to the top flight as Championship winners last season, is under no illusions such a performance would not go unpunished against the elite.

He said: “We were lacking a bit of sharpness.

“It was not for the lack of trying but when you start a game like we did and you go a goal down after two minutes, no matter who the opposition is, it’s going to be a long afternoon.

“If we do that in the Premier League, it’s going to be a long season.

“We need to start a bit quicker, that’s the only thing I would be really critical of. Overall, I’m disappointed.

“We’ve got to try to raise the bar all the time and today we didn’t quite make it.”

Injury ruled fellow new arrivals Kieran Richardson and Russell Anderson as well as Carlos Edwards missed the game at Glanford Park and the Black Cats remains confident their return, plus some further additions, will make all the difference.

He told www.safc.com: “We made lots of changes but you hope with the three or four players that were missing and with an additional one or two, we’ll be different opposition.

“The lads who were missing today should be fine for the Ireland trip. There’s no point risking them.”