One key star missed out as Sunderland earned a rare win over Middlesbrough on Saturday.
The Black Cats were without a couple of their big names for their clash with Boro at the Stadium of Light.
Midfielder midfielder Alan Browne was ruled out of the game by Regis Le Bris in midweek but he should be back in action at some point in the next seven days.
Elsewhere, Salis Abdul Samed, Ahmed Abdullahi, Aji Alese, Niall Huggins, Jenson Seelt and Dan Ballard all missed the fixture due to injury issues.
Despite having a plethora of injury problems to deal with, Sunderland beat Middlesbrough 1-0.
It was only the second time the North East outfit have beaten their local rivals in any competition in just under 12 years.
The result kept Sunderland second in the Championship table and within just one point of first-place West Bromwich Albion, who are yet to lose a game this season.
Following the tie, Le Bris has explained why one of the aforementioned players was left out of the clash.
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Regis Le Bris explains Dan Ballard absence vs Middlesbrough
Ballard has been plagued with injuries during the early stages of the 2024/25 campaign.
The 25-year-old missed the start of the season with a knee injury before starting in clashes with Portsmouth and Burnley.
After returning to fitness, Ballard was dubbed a ‘standout’ for his performance on international duty earlier this month.
However, the Sunderland stopper limped off vs Plymouth Argyle last weekend, putting his involvement in Saturday’s matchday squad in doubt.
Now, speaking post-Middlesbrough, Le Bris has explained why Ballard did not feature over the weekend, as per the Sunderland Echo.
He said: “It wasn’t a tactical decision, I made it because Dan didn’t train during the week.
“We knew that Chris was ready, and with his experience, he was a good player for us to bring in. It is a possibility now to play with Luke and Mepham, Luke and Ballard or Ballard and Mepham.
“All of those things are possible now, so it is going to be interesting for us to work that out.”
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How Chris Mepham fared on Sunderland debut
Chris Mepham joined Sunderland on loan from AFC Bournemouth for the 2024/25 season on deadline day.
The 26-year-old is a Premier League-proven centre-back and big things are expected of him in the North East.
Sunderland fans had to wait some time to see the stopper in action but Mepham made his debut vs Middlesbrough in order to cover for the injured Ballard.
Mepham was a rock at the back and kept Boro forwards Emmanuel Latte Lath and Tommy Conway quite for much of the 90 minutes.
After making his first start for the club, the Bournemouth loanee has already done enough to show Le Bris he can and should be a regular starter going forward.
The full extent of Ballard’s injury is not yet known but Sunderland should not be too worried as Mepham is a quality replacement.