Sunderland to face Hull City on Saturday night in front of the cameras

Sunderland are set to face Hull City in a crucial League One clash on Saturday night.

Grant McCann’s side will visit the Stadium of Light this Saturday for a 7.45pm kick-off, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

The teams had been set to play on Boxing Day, but that fixture was postponed after a Co vid -19 outbreak on Wear side.

The Black Cats had then been set to face Fleetwood Town this Saturday, before an outbreak amongst the Fleetwood squad.

Hull City were due to face Wigan Athletic, but an outbreak at the DW Stadium left a gap in the schedule for both sides and they have moved quickly to schedule the fixture.

Due to the game being televised, Sunderland have warned supporters that they will be unable to purchase individual match passes to stream the game via the club’s digital platforms. However, season card holders that previously activated their unique code to view all games played behind closed doors can watch the game on safc.com.

Meanwhile, former Republic of Ireland boss Mick McCarthy and Cypriot club APOEL have parted company after just two months.

The 61-year-old, who was appointed on a 19-month contract on November 2, and assistant Terry Connor have lasted just nine games after a run of four successive defeats left APOEL in 11th place in the table and just four points above the relegation zone.

A statement released by the Nicosia-based club said: “The company APOEL FOOTBALL (PUBLIC) LTD announces the end of its cooperation with coach Mick McCarthy.

“We wish Mr. McCarthy and his assistant Terry Connor good luck.”

McCarthy’s exit came in the wake of a 2-1 Cyta Championship defeat at Doxa Katokopias on Tuesday.

The former Sunderland, Millwall, Wolves and Ipswich boss saw his second spell as Ireland manager end in April last year when plans to install Stephen Kenny as his successor after the Euro 2020 campaign were brought forward as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

APOEL have a reputation for making swift decisions on managers and will now begin the search for their 16 thin cumbent in just seven years.

McCarthy’s departure will come as a blow to Ireland international Jack Byrne, who made his debut for the club as a substitute against Doxa a day after officially completing a move from Shamrock Rovers.