Sunderland defender Chris Mepham has heaped praise on one teammate who impressed on Saturday despite being played in a new, unnatural position.
Sunderland beat Millwall 1-0 on Saturday afternoon as Regis Le Bris’ side returned to winning ways following their 3-0 loss at Coventry before the international break.
Trai Hume was forced to play at left-back following a double defensive injury blow for Sunderland which kept Dennis Cirkin and Leo Hjelde sidelined. Despite the positional change, Hume scored a decisive first-half volley; the latest accomplishment in the full-back’s impressive Sunderland season.
Chris Mepham was very solid against Millwall and was hailed by supporters for his return to form. But, Mepham singled out a fellow Sunderland teammate for praise after their display against Millwall, and it wasn’t Hume that the on-loan Bournemouth defender labeled his side’s “best” on the day.
Chris Mepham hails ‘comfortable’ Alan Browne display vs Millwall
As a result of injuries at left-back, Le Bris was forced to reshuffle his backline against Millwall and instructed summer signing Alan Browne to slot in at right-back as Hume moved to left-back.
29-year-old Browne had featured in that role only 17 times during his 414-game Preston career before Saturday’s affair and performed well defensively as well as in-possession against Millwall.
Fellow Sunderland defender Mepham admitted the central-midfielder was a ‘pleasure’ to play alongside in defence. Mepham told SAFC.com: “I thought Alan was our best player. He slotted in, and there were never any question marks about him stepping into that role.
“For him to come in and make it look so comfortable – defensively, you’d never have thought he was a central midfielder. He was a pleasure to play alongside.
| Key statistic | Alan Browne vs Millwall |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Accurate passes | 25/28 |
| Touches | 62 |
| Tackles won | 3/4 |
| Duels won | 7 |
| Interceptions | 3 |
“He’s experienced at this level and has played a lot of games. You could see that out there today. We showed today, that someone can slot in at right-back who doesn’t normally play there, and Trai can switch to the other side, and we still look really settled.”
Regis Le Bris must start Alan Browne vs West Brom
Browne’s performance against Millwall has certainly afforded him the right to retain his starting spot in Saturday’s trip to face former Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray’s West Brom.
Mepham added that: “In an ideal world, you’d have a stable back four, but the Championship is relentless. There are times when players carry knocks or need to be rested.”
First-choice left-back Cirkin is set to be out for around “two weeks more” according to Le Bris, and although recognised defender Hjelde is closer to a Sunderland return, Browne deserves to stay in the starting XI for West Brom.
Sunderland have for weeks demanded rarely-seen Browne used more often, with his vast experience and versatility set to play a vital role in the Black Cats’ Championship run-in.
Browne’s debut Sunderland season has been hampered by injuries and has resulted in the Republic of Ireland international making only nine Black Cats starts this term.
With his impressive display in an unfavoured position in the Millwall victory, fans believe Le Bris must use Browne more often as the business end of the season approaches, and the utility-man will likely keep his place within the weekend’s top-six Baggies clash.